


The Power Of Love

by Hughville, Pyewacket75



Category: House M.D.
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-03
Updated: 2016-04-21
Packaged: 2018-05-31 00:41:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 29,319
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6448642
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hughville/pseuds/Hughville, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pyewacket75/pseuds/Pyewacket75
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This story takes place during House's time at Michigan State....<br/>House and his best friend Amanda have formed a strong bond, but is it strong enough when a certain individual challenges it?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Let's Hear It For The Boy

**Author's Note:**

> This is a collaboration between pyewacket75 and me. 
> 
> Neither of us own House or its characters. We do own Amanda, though. Also, this is NOT a Huddy fic.

Lisa Cuddy looked over her class list one more time before entering the bookstore. Excitement shivered through her. She was finally in college. She spent the last week setting up her dorm room and familiarizing herself with the campus. Now she needed her books and the bookstore was crowded. It looked like every other freshman was getting books, too.  
Lisa spotted a tall, good looking man behind the counter. He stood watching the crowd with a hint of boredom and derision. She felt intimidated by him but she needed help so she made her way to the counter and thrust the sheet with her class list at him. His intense blue eyes flicked down to the sheet and then up to her face. She stared at his Rolling Stones t-shirt that strained across his broad chest.  
“I need classes for these books,” she said and then felt her face heat up. Something about him made her so nervous. She stared at his chest again and saw his name tag. Greg. His name was Greg.  
She cleared her throat. “I need books for these classes,” she said.  
He grabbed the list and looked at it. After a moment, he looked at her over the top of the sheet. “You’re taking too many classes for a freshman. You’re going to flunk out.”  
Lisa shrugged. “I can handle it.”  
One corner of his mouth lifted exposing a dimple in his cheek. “It’s your funeral,” he told her.  
He ambled away and she stood at the counter watching him. He was tall, very tall, with a perfect build; muscular but not roid rage muscular. His brown hair was tousled as though he never combed it. His jeans emphasized his ass and long legs. Lisa tore her eyes away and looked at the back of the store. While she waited a tall, slender blonde carrying an armload of books walked behind the counter. She set the books down as a young man came to stand beside Lisa. The name on the blonde’s name tag was Amanda. The freshman she was helping stared at her in stunned awe. Lisa had to admit Amanda was beautiful. She had skin the color of pale honey, huge blue eyes, a perfect nose and full, pink lips. She was at least six feet tall with a lean, toned body. Lisa watched as Amanda rang up the boy’s purchase and put the books in a bag. She told him the total and he fumbled for his wallet. His hands shook as she took the money from him. Lisa knew Amanda noticed though she continued to smile.  
“Good luck,” Amanda told him with a wink. He stood holding the bag staring at her. Greg walked up at that moment with Lisa’s books.  
“Scram, kid,” he growled at the boy. He dropped Lisa’s books down on the counter as the boy turned and hurried out of the store.  
Greg leaned toward Amanda. “That one,” he said indicating Lisa with a tilt of his head, “is taking eighteen hours. She’s taking Endocrinology 302 and Chem 301.”  
Amanda smiled at Lisa. Lisa felt herself shrink a bit. Even Amanda’s teeth were perfect; straight and very white.

“Leave her alone, Greg,” Amanda told him. “I’m sure she can handle it. You know the advisors don’t let students take on more than they can handle.”  
Lisa smiled at Amanda. “I took college prep courses in high school.”  
Greg told her the total and she pulled out the credit card her father gave her. He looked at it as he took it from her.  
“Well, Lisa Cuddy,” he said. “Did you graduate with honors, too?”  
His sarcasm wasn’t lost on her. “As a matter of fact, I did.”  
He pushed the credit card slip toward her. “Sign it.”  
She signed it and pushed it back toward him.  
“You want your carbon?”  
She nodded and he handed her a copy with the carbon. After sliding her books into a bag, he leaned toward her. The warm, masculine scent of him swirled around her.  
“Study less, party more,” he told her and patted her on the head.  
Her lips tightened and she grabbed her bag. “I know how to party,” she ground out.  
His laughter taunted her as she left the store.  
Once the door closed behind her, Amanda lightly smacked Greg. “You are so going to hell,” she laughed.  
He leaned back against the counter. “I’ll save you a spot.”  
Shaking her head, she went back to work.

 

Later that evening, the store was empty and they were cleaning up. Amanda was in the back getting books to restock the shelves while Greg vacuumed. The door opened and he looked up. Lisa Cuddy walked in and made a beeline for the clothes. Greg watched her as she flipped through the t-shirts. Finally, he shut off the vacuum and approached her. Reaching around her, he pulled out a size medium t-shirt emblazoned with the school’s mascot.  
“This one has plenty of room for your tits,” he told her.  
She looked up at him with wide blue eyes. Her face turned red and she swallowed. Tilting his head, he regarded her. He was in the mood for a distraction and she seemed like a good candidate.  
“My buddy, AJ, is having a party on Saturday night. Why don’t you come?” he whispered in her ear. As he pulled back, he tucked a black curl behind her ear.  
She nodded and he went over to the counter to write down the address. Holding it out, he smiled at her. She took it and looked down at the floor.  
“See you on Saturday,” he said.  
She nodded and left.  
Amanda emerged from the back room with a box of books. Greg sauntered over and took it from her.

“You’re having a party on Saturday night,” he told her.  
“I am?” she asked. “Why?”  
“My little soon-to-be stalker showed up.”  
Amanda looked at him in confusion. “You currently have about four stalkers. Which one are you talking about?”  
“Lisa Cuddy,” he said. “The overachiever from this morning.”  
Amanda followed him to the shelves and began taking books from the box. “She’s a freshman, Greg.”  
“Exactly.”  
She began to put the books on the shelf. “Again, you are so going to hell.”  
Greg looked at her. She bent to put a book on the bottom shelf. He suppressed a sigh. He hated being in love with her. They met in high school and somehow he never got up the courage to ask her out. How could he? She was perfect and every guy who met her wanted her. At some point, they became best friends. He still couldn’t recall exactly when it happened but it did. Now he was firmly in the friend zone with her. So, he tried to make her jealous by pursuing girls like Lisa Cuddy all the while acting like Amanda was nothing more than a friend.  
They circled the shelf and she reached out for more books. As she did, her engagement ring and thin diamond wedding band sparkled in the flourescent lights. Luckily, her husband, Jack, didn’t mind the fact that her best friend was a man. In fact, Jack and Greg got along very well even though Greg was jealous of him. He really wished she’d never met Jack and he would always regret the fact he was the one who introduced them.  
They finished restocking the shelves and cleaning up. Greg locked up and they walked across campus, talking and laughing. When they arrived at her apartment, he declined her offer to come in for coffee.  
As he walked away, he called over his shoulder. “Party. Saturday. 9 PM.”  
“Fine,” she responded before disappearing inside.  
Greg shoved his hands in his pockets and headed toward his own apartment.


	2. Got A Hold On Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are having a blast writing this! Let me stress again, this is NOT a Huddy fic. So, sit back and enjoy the ride. 
> 
> Also, we don't own House. If we did, well...as Pyewacket says it would have been on HBO!

Classes started on Monday. Lisa made sure to arrive a little early to each class so she could get a seat up front. Her class after lunch was the Endocrinology class. She entered the classroom and was surprised to see Greg sitting at the teacher’s desk. His feet were propped up on the desk and he wore scrubs. A lab coat hung haphazardly over the back of the chair.   
“You’re the teacher?” she asked in confusion. “What happened to Professor Lamb?”  
“Bo Peep came calling,” he smirked. Swinging his legs off the desk, he stood and stretched. The hem of his scrub top rode up exposing a sliver of toned, tanned stomach. Lisa swallowed hard. That little expanse of smooth skin with its trail of dark hair mesmerized her. She immediately began to wonder what his skin would feel like and wanted to follow that strip of dark hair to its final destination.  
He walked over to her and tapped his knuckles against her forehead. “I know I’m a stud but you really need to stay focused.”  
Lisa shook her head. She willed herself not to blush and sat down at the closest desk. Greg came and braced his hands on the edge of the desk, blue eyes gleaming with amusement.  
“As I was saying, I’m the TA for this class. Lamb went to get some coffee.” He leaned in close and she jumped slightly. “So if your T and A needs help, I’m the one to come see.” He grinned and pushed away from her as other students and the professor entered the room.  
For the next hour, Lisa struggled to focus as Professor Lamb went over the syllabus and began talking about the endocrine system. Her eyes kept flicking over to Greg who sat at the desk, feet propped up and hands folded behind his head. He smiled lazily at her each time he looked at her.  
When class finally ended, she snatched up her books and left the class as quickly as possible. As she strode down the hallway, Greg fell in step beside her.   
“I forgot to tell you about the dress code for the party. It’s casual,” he said. “So, panties are optional. Bra, too.”  
Before Lisa could respond, he walked into a classroom. She stopped and looked in. Amanda sat at the teacher’s desk. Greg sat on the edge of the desk and smiled at the leggy blonde. She also wore scrubs and a lab coat. Lisa looked at the placard next to the door. She sighed. This was her Chemistry class which meant Amanda was the TA. Squaring her shoulders, she walked in, made a beeline for a desk, sat down and opened her Chem book.   
“Are we still going running this evening?” Greg asked. Lisa watched them from beneath her lashes.  
Amanda sighed. “Yeah, but it’s easier to go early in the morning. Luckily for you, Jack is working late tonight.”  
“I only wake up early for morning sex,” he responded.  
“Because you’re terminally lazy.”  
Greg laughed and a flash caught Lisa’s eye. Looking up, she saw Amanda brush her hair back. The afternoon sun sparkled on her wedding rings. Lisa sat back and smiled. She thought Amanda was competition for Greg’s attention. If she was married, then there was a very good chance that Lisa and Greg could end up dating. She sat up straight as the professor entered and Greg left.

 

That evening as Lisa was crossing the quad on her way to dinner, she saw Greg and Amanda running. She stopped for a moment to watch him. Her breath caught in her throat at the sight of his bare chest, flat stomach, firm biceps and long legs. A light smattering of hair crossed his chest and his skin gleamed with sweat. Heat pooled between her legs as he angled to the right and she caught sight of his firm ass. Then he was gone and she shook her head. Slowly she continued to the dining hall.

 

“Your newest stalker was watching you,” Amanda commented as they ran.  
Greg flicked a glance over his shoulder. Sure enough, Lisa Cuddy stood in the middle of the quad. He turned and grinned at Amanda.  
“I plan to tag and release her at your party,” he laughed.  
“At least take her back to your apartment for that,” she groaned. “The last one you tagged and released keeps coming around looking for you.”  
“No way,” he responded. “I can’t take them to my apartment. They’ll come back. I have to maintain an air of mystery.”  
Amanda laughed. “Well, at least tag her somewhere besides my bed. I had to throw out the sheets last time.”  
“Something tells me Little Miss Studious won’t let me get that far. She turns red every time I look at her.”  
“You’re an idiot. She turns red because she likes you so much. She’s fallen hard for you. So stay out of my bedroom. Jack was not happy last time. Though he is impressed by the sheer number of girls you get.”  
“I can’t help it that women are drawn to me.”  
Amanda groaned and ran a little faster. Greg smiled and increased his pace to keep up with her.


	3. What's Love Got To Do With It?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And this is one reason this has an M rating. However, this is STILL not a Huddy fic.
> 
> Also, we still don't own House. If anything changes, we'll let you know.

The party was in full swing by the time Lisa arrived. Huey Lewis was blaring on the stereo and she was given a red solo cup of beer as soon as she walked through the door. It was a large apartment but not large enough to accommodate the many people standing around. In the kitchen was a keg that Greg was standing around, pumping endless cups of beer for everyone as he and his friends joked and laughed.  
When he saw her enter the kitchen, her glass already empty, he reached for it. “You need a refill,” he said as he took it from her and refilled it. She was wearing a burgundy V neck sweater, tight blue jeans and knee high black boots. Her hair was down around her shoulders and looked very soft to the touch. He intended to find out just how soft later.  
“Nice pants,” he said as he drank from his own cup. “They look like...party pants. That nickname suits you.”  
“Glad you approve,” she said, dryly as she took a sip of the beer, which wasn’t cold enough for her liking. “Got any ice?”  
“What for?”  
“This beer is gross when it’s warm.”  
Greg went to the fridge and handed her an ice cold beer that no doubt belonged to Jack but he didn’t care. Getting Lisa drunk enough to score was his only priority. “Such high maintenance,” he muttered. “So how’s your first week? Feeling overwhelmed yet?” he asked her.  
“No, it’s fine. The professors are amazing. My TA in Endocrinology leaves little to be desired though,” she said with a grin.  
“You don’t want to get on the bad side of a TA.”  
“Is that right?”  
“Yep. Come on, it’s hot in here,” he said as he guided her outside for some fresh air. Once on the patio, he stood very close to her. “I hoped you’d come tonight. Did you take my advice about bras and panties being optional?” He asked as his fingers stroked her hair. It was as soft as it looked.  
“Yeah right, like I’m going to wander around without a bra. This isn’t the seventies, Greg.”  
“This is a good point. Your tits deserve to be shown off in a nice bra.” He leaned over and gently kissed her, getting his first taste of her. She moaned softly against his lips and wrapped her arms around his neck as he pressed his body against hers, his excitement very obvious as he rubbed his pelvis against her stomach.  
His hands slid up underneath her sweater and gently caressed the lace of her bra. “MMm..maybe we should continue this inside…”  
“That’s probably a good idea.”  
He took her hand and brought her inside. “Yeah, House!” A few guys cheered as they went past toward the empty bedroom. Lisa followed him but her head was swimming. Greg…House… she thought to herself. Oh no way!   
When they got inside the bedroom, he closed the door and looked at her with a gaze that was purely predatory. “So let’s see ‘em,” he told her.  
“Quite forward, aren’t you?” She said as she tugged off her sweater to reveal a black lace bra.  
“I don’t see the point in beating around the bush,” he grinned as he stepped closer and traced his finger along the top of her breasts. “So does the downstairs match?”  
She cocked her head to one side. “Excuse me?”  
“Your panties. I assume you’re wearing them.”  
He reached over and unbuttoned her jeans. They were very tight, and a bit of a challenge. With that, he picked her up over his shoulder and playfully tossed her on the bed. Then he very slowly unzipped her boots and tugged them off. His hand slid up her leg, feeling the heat of her core through the denim of her jeans.  
“You’re overdressed,” she giggled and reached for the hem of his T-shirt which he tugged over his head to reveal the chest she’d been admiring the other day when he was jogging. Her small hands slid up his chest and her nails raked over his nipples, making him groan softly as she trailed kisses up his chest and nipped at the base of his throat. Judging from his responses, she clearly found his erogenous zones and continued her ministrations as he unzipped her jeans and slipped a hand inside. Or tried to.   
“These have got to go,” he murmured against her lips and tugged them down her slender hips. Everything about her was slender. She wasn’t thin, and he admired her curves. Being a breast man, he thoroughly enjoyed hers and buried his face in between them as his fingers worked on the hook at the back.  
He tossed her jeans on the floor and then removed her matching black lace panties. “Hate to lose these but they’re in my way,” he said as he tossed them over his shoulder and took in her naked form as she lay on the bed.   
However, she surprised him by rolling him onto his back and kissing that trail of chest hair down to the waistband of his jeans. After quickly undoing them, he lifted his hips to help her remove his boxers and before he realized it, she took him into her mouth.  
“Yesssss….” He groaned as he buried his fingers in her hair and brushed it aside so he could watch her. She clearly knew what she was doing and he summed up that this was definitely not her first time at the rodeo.  
He could feel himself getting close but he didn’t want things to end just yet. Reaching for the side table, he grabbed a condom out of the drawer. Lisa grabbed it out of his hand, tore open the seal and rolled it over him.  
“I can’t believe I’m about to fuck the legendary Greg House,” she said with a smirk as she straddled him, hovering over his cock.  
“You know it, baby. There’s a reason why I’m a legend,” he grinned.  
Without another word, she impaled herself on his length and they both groaned at the amazing sensations. She was amazingly tight and wet, and he was as hard as blue steel. Together, they made an amazing connection. He wanted to give her everything he had to make it the most memorable experience ever. And with that in mind, he flipped her onto her back and crashed his lips against hers. Her arms went around him and pulled him close.  
“Fuck me, Greg!”  
He tapped his cock against her pussy a few times, making her squirm, craving him, before slamming into her.  
It was probably one of the hottest experiences of his life. So far. Lisa matched him thrust for thrust and was very responsive to every touch he made. He’d definitely had his share of women, and since starting college, several years back, he had his pick. Women seemed drawn to him for whatever reason and he couldn’t say no to them.  
Lisa’s groan as she came, her inner walls squeezing his cock brought him back to the present and he hit his own climax. His mouth covered hers to silence her, not that it really mattered. It’s not like people didn’t know what was going on behind the locked door. But he didn’t like an audience and when they finished, he rolled off of her and stared up at the ceiling as he caught his breath.   
“That was...pretty awesome,” he said in between breaths.  
“Yeah,” Lisa nodded and then propped her chin on her hand as she smiled at him.   
He stared up at the ceiling fan for a few minutes and then he got up to find his clothes.”Come on, get dressed. Time to rejoin the party. I need another beer.”  
Lisa frowned. “That’s it?”  
Greg blinked. “There’s more?”  
“I hope so.”  
He shrugged. “We’ll see.”

Once dressed, Greg unlocked the door and went back to the party. Lisa slowly dressed in the dark and then went out to find him. She searched the entire apartment before finally going back out to the patio. She found him sitting on sofa with a dark haired man and Amanda. The dark haired man must be AJ she concluded and sauntered over to them. Twinkle lights cast a faint glow over the screened in patio. As she approached them, someone shoved a cup into her hand. She drained the beer in it in one swallow. Everything tilted for a moment so she stood still until the world righted itself. She felt light and very confident; most definitely drunk. A burp escaped her and she giggled. She grabbed another cup of beer and walked up to stand in front of Greg and his friends.  
“I’m Lisa Cuddy,” she told them. She smiled at the man sitting next to Greg. “You must be AJ. This is a fucking fantastic party.”  
Greg smirked into his cup while the man sitting next to him looked at her in confusion.  
“I’m Jack,” he said. “Some people call my wife AJ, though.” He smiled and took Amanda's hand.  
“Actually,” Amanda said, “only Greg calls me AJ.”  
Lisa looked at Greg but he was looking at Amanda. Something about the way he looked at her set off warning bells in Lisa’s head. She was too drunk to figure out the reason for her alarm, though.  
“Greg House!”   
The three on the couch sat up at the sound of the young woman who squealed Greg’s name.   
“Shit,” Greg groaned as he got up and disappeared into the darkened yard. Lisa followed him.  
She caught up to him at the door leading into the kitchen.  
“Who is that?” she asked as she followed him in,  
He shrugged. “A girl I fucked.”  
Lisa stood stock still. Suddenly she felt stone cold sober. “Like me.”  
He ignored her and disappeared into the crowd.

Later, Jack found Greg playing video games with the guys and tapped him on the shoulder. “Hey Greg, I need your car to give my friends a ride. Is that cool?”  
Greg reached into his jeans pocket and tossed him the keys. “Bring ‘er back in one piece. I haven’t finished making the payments.”  
“Sure thing. Thanks, man.”  
He could feel daggers shooting into the back of his head but he refused to give Lisa the satisfaction that it was bothering him. Yeah, the sex was hot, and they had a good time, but it did not mean he was going to date her exclusively, and her clingy behavior was the clincher and a huge turn off.  
Suddenly she appeared in front of the TV. The screen went blank and Greg leaned forward.  
“You pulled the cord loose, Cuddy,” he said in a dangerously quiet voice. “I was winning.”  
Lisa folded her arms as the men playing with him suddenly scattered.  
“Did you invite me just to get in my pants?” she asked trying to keep her voice from trembling.  
“Duh, Cuddy. You obviously wanted it or you wouldn’t be dressed like a high priced hooker and you would have stayed in your dorm studying.”  
“You invited me, House! You came on to me!”  
He set the controller on the couch and stood up. Advancing on her slowly, he came to stand over her.  
“You need to learn the difference between wanting a relationship and wanting an easy fuck. I wanted to fuck you and you wanted to fuck the great Greg House. I gave you everything you wanted. Mission accomplished. Now run on back to your dorm.”  
She looked up at him defiantly. “You can’t treat me like this! You’re going to regret it.”  
He smiled sardonically. “Riiiight.” He turned on his heel and walked away,  
Lisa watched him with tears in her eyes and started to follow him when the doorbell rang. He opened the door and a cheer went up when everyone saw a boy balancing about ten boxes of pizza. Greg paid the boy and took the pizza into the kitchen. Lisa followed and watched from the doorway as Amanda got out a pile of paper plates. Greg began loading up the plates with pizza. Everyone crowded around and Lisa pushed through the crowd until she stood between Greg and Amanda. Amanda handed her a plate of pizza. She took it, went to the refrigerator and grabbed a cold bottle of beer. Before she could turn around or close the door, Greg grabbed the bottle from her. He put the bottle back in the fridge, closed the door and walked back to the table.  
“That’s Jack’s beer,” he told her. “Get some from the keg.”  
Her lips tightened and she glared at his back. She stood and watched him until the crowd dispersed with plates of pizza and cups of beer. He and Amanda took their plates and beer and headed back out to the porch. Lisa followed them. She squeezed in between them on the couch and began to eat her pizza.  
“So,” Amanda began. “This is some party.”  
Greg looked at Lisa who sat eating her pizza.  
“Yeah.” He stood up. “I think I’m done. I’m heading home.” He started to walk away but turned back. “Oh, get Cuddy to wash your sheets. We fucked on your bed.”  
He said the words loudly and everyone in the apartment turned to look at them. Lisa threw her pizza at him and stormed out. Greg looked down at the cheese and sauce on his shirt.  
“Damn, this was one of my favorite t-shirts,” he commented.  
“Oh, Greg, seriously?” Amanda groaned.  
Lisa slowly walked back and stood in the doorway. “The police are here.”


	4. Drive

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still not a Huddy fic. Still don't own House. We also don't own the line from an episode of Dallas that Pyewacket slipped in. I wish we did because it's a good one.

“It wouldn’t be a House party if the cops didn’t show,” someone called out. “Sure sign of a good party, dude! Thumbs up!”  
A few others joined in and started cheering but Greg focused on Lisa.  
“Nice try,” he told her. “I thought you were headed back to your dorm to drown your sorrows in chocolate or whatever you chicks do when you’re slut shamed.”  
Lisa looked at Amanda. “There are really two police officers here. They want to see House. I’m not making this up.”  
Amanda saw how pale Lisa was and stood up. “She isn’t making this up. Come on. Let’s go see what they want,” she told him.   
They walked through the living room where everyone stood silently looking at the two burly police officers.  
“You paid those speeding tickets didn’t you?” Amanda whispered to Greg.  
“Most of them,” he whispered back.  
They stopped in front of the two police officers. One held a small note pad.  
“I’m Officer Hamilton,” the one with the pad said. “This is my partner Officer Adams. Are you Gregory House?”  
“I’m House. Listen, I plan to-”  
Officer Hamilton cut him off. “Do you own a red 1983 Corvette?”  
Greg nodded. Something was very wrong; he could feel it.   
“Do you know Jackson Evans?”  
Greg glanced at Amanda. She stared at Hamilton with wide eyes.  
“He’s my husband,” she said her voice trembling. “Has he been arrested? He wasn’t drinking.”  
Officer Hamilton looked at his partner. “No, ma’am. Would you come outside, please?”  
She gripped Greg’s arm and all the color drained from her face. Greg led her out of the apartment and closed the door behind them.  
Hamilton cleared his throat and looked down at his pad. Greg felt his heart begin to race. Something terrible happened. He put his arm around Amanda pulling her close. She trembled and leaned heavily against him.  
“Two boys were drag racing and one hit the Corvette head on. We need you to come down to the morgue to identify your husband. I’m very sorry, Mrs. Evans.”  
“Our car is in the shop,” Amanda told him in a strained voice.   
“We’ll take you and make sure you get home,” Officer Adams said.  
“I want Greg to come.”  
The officer nodded and led them to the police cruiser.

The county morgue was cold and the walls painted a dingy shade of yellow. The two officers led them to a large window covered on the opposite side by a white curtain.  
Greg held Amanda up. He looked at her. Pale and shaking, her eyes were wide and she kept swallowing. He knew she was in shock.  
“Could you get a blanket?” he asked Adams. Adams nodded and walked off. He returned a few moments later with a blanket. Greg wrapped it around Amanda and pulled her closer.  
“I’m ready,” she told them.  
Hamilton knocked on the window and the curtains parted. A whimper escaped Amanda. Lying on a steel table covered by a thin sheet was Jack. He was bruised and bloody.  
“It that your husband?” Hamilton asked.  
Amanda nodded and walked up to the window. She put one hand on it. “Yes, that’s him,” she whispered. She turned to look at Greg and began to cry. She flung herself at him and he wrapped his arms around her. He stared over her shoulder at Jack’s body.   
“She needs to go home,” he told the two officers.

Greg led Amanda back in her apartment. Everyone was gone except Lisa who was cleaning up. She looked up when they entered. Silently, she took the garbage bag she held into the kitchen.   
“I want to lie down,” Amanda said. “I want to go to bed.”  
“How about the couch?” he asked. The last thing she needed was to lie on dirty sex sheets.  
Lisa appeared at his elbow. “Come on,” she said taking Amanda’s hand. “I’ll help you get changed.”  
Amanda allowed Lisa to lead her into the bathroom. Greg raced into the master bedroom and flipped on the light. The bed was neatly made. There was no sign he and Cuddy had sex there a couple hours earlier. He pulled back the covers and saw that she’d put clean sheets on the bed.  
Lisa and Amanda entered the room. Greg stepped forward and guided Amanda to the bed. He got her settled and looked back at Lisa.  
“Go get some pillows off the couch,” he told her.  
He tucked the covers around Amanda and stroked her hair.  
“I feel like I’m caught in a nightmare,” she whispered. She began to cry again. Greg held her hand and continued to stroke her hair.   
Lisa appeared holding four throw pillows. Greg took them from her and lifted the blankets to put them under Amanda’s legs. As he did that, Lisa placed a box of tissues on the bed next to Amanda. Greg covered her again and sat back down on the edge of the bed.  
“Don’t leave me Greg,” Amanda begged tearfully. “Please don’t leave me.”  
“I’m not going anywhere,” he promised her.  
She stared up at the ceiling, crying softly.  
Greg looked at Lisa.  
“Go back to your dorm.”  
She shook her head. “No, I’m staying. I’ll be cleaning up,” she told him turning on her heel and walking out.  
Greg ground his teeth in frustration.  
Amanda looked at Greg. “Hold me.”  
He toed off his shoes and got into bed with her, wrapping his arms around her. She pressed up against him and put her head on his shoulder. Soon her tears soaked his shirt. Finally she fell asleep and he continued to hold her.  
Lisa stood in the doorway. “I’m going to sleep in the other bedroom,” she announced.  
Before Greg could say a word, she was gone.

Soon the apartment was dark and quiet. Greg lay listening to Amanda breathe as her warmth seeped into his body. Jack was dead. Greg always hoped Amanda would come to her senses and divorce him but not this; never this. He knew marriages between two people in their early twenties usually ended in divorce. He also knew Amanda and Jack often argued about money, her desire to become a doctor, and his need to support them. She made decent money at the bookstore but Greg knew Jack wanted her to choose a different career. Jack never said it to her but he often said it to Greg. Greg never said anything but he knew Amanda wanted to be a doctor more than anything else. Like him, she saw patients as puzzles to be solved. Her bedside manner was better but she still saw them as nothing but puzzles. Greg knew that’s what drew her to him in high school. He fell for her immediately but she was dating the captain of the soccer team. She followed Greg around peppering him with questions most of which he ignored. He quickly learned ignoring her made her more determined so he ignored her a lot. By eleventh grade, she managed to weasel a few details out of him about his father and the way he treated Greg. Soon, she was his champion and he began spending more time at her house than his own. By the time they graduated, they were both accepted at Michigan. They lived in the same dorm and for the first three years everything was perfect. They took all the same classes and both worked in the bookstore. Then, at a particularly wild party, Greg drunkenly introduced her to Jack. He had to stand by and watch as they fell in love and got married. Now they were in med school, still working in the bookstore together, working as teaching assistants and spending most of their time together. Greg was happy but Jack was always there. Except now he wasn’t. Would Amanda turn to him? He didn’t want to be a rebound guy for her. He wanted her to love him as much as he loved her. He would never say that to her, though. He couldn’t. It wasn’t possible for him to say something like that. Turning slightly, he adjusted his hold on her and drifted off.   
In the morning, he woke up and Amanda shifted onto her side facing away from him. She was clearly still sound asleep so he carefully got out of bed. He smelled the coffee instantly and he followed the aroma to the kitchen where Lisa was sitting, staring out the window. When she heard movement,she turned and smiled at him, somewhat sympathetically. “How is she?”  
“Still asleep, thank God. The real question is, why are you still here?”  
“I just…”  
“Wanted to help? Great. Thanks. You can go now.”  
Lisa frowned. “Wow. It’s true what they say about you.”  
“And are you really surprised?”  
“Well I thought…”  
“What? That after a roll in the sack I’d start treating you like a Princess? Now who’s being delusional? Look,” he said as he poured himself some coffee. “I appreciate your help last night and I’m sure Amanda will thank you herself when she sees you, but you don’t have to stay. I’m going home soon myself to study. You should too. There may or may not be a pop quiz in Endo tomorrow. I suggest you bone up on your thyroid gland functions. Now shoo.”  
“Fine!” Lisa snapped back, got up, dumped the rest of her coffee down the drain and stormed out of the kitchen.   
“Keep it down!” he hissed as he followed her. “Some people are still asleep, ya know.”  
She whirled around to face him. “You know what your problem is, Greg? You think you’re God’s gift to women. You assume just because you’re smart and attractive that you can have any girl you want and they’ll come running.”  
“Like you did?”  
She squared her shoulders and looked at him with defiance. “I decided to ignore the rumors and give you the benefit of the doubt. But clearly I won’t be the last of your conquests. Tell me Greg, which slut are you going to be with next?”  
“What’s it to you? We’re not in a relationship. I can do who and what the hell I want.”  
Lisa stepped back like she’d been slapped and Greg realized he might’ve gone too far with that last remark. “Listen,” he said, his voice a little softer. “If it weren’t for you, this place would still look like a bomb went off. I’m sure AJ will thank you personally next time she sees you.”  
“Is that your pathetic attempt at an apology?”  
“It’s as good as it gets.”  
“Will Amanda go to classes tomorrow?”  
“I don’t know. Knowing her, probably. Chem is her favorite class and God knows she needs the distraction right now.”  
“I thought you’d provide that for her.”  
Greg cocked his head to one side. “I don’t like those implications. AJ and I have been best friends since high school.”  
“That’s it?”  
“Yeah, that’s it. She’s been with Jack for the last four years.”  
“So why are you giving me the cold shoulder? Was I really just an easy lay for you?”  
“Other than being totally hot, yes. I don’t know why that would bother you. You’re smart, pretty and fun. I figured guys would be lining up to go out with you. Why limit yourself to just me? This is college. Get out, experiment, have fun, study smart, not hard. You can’t take school too seriously or else you will burn out and drop out. You’ve come this far already. This isn’t an easy school to get into but here you are.”  
That seemed to diffuse her a little and she actually smiled at him. “See you tomorrow.” Then she leaned over and placed a quick kiss on his lips before throwing her jacket on and making her exit.  
Amanda stood in the entrance of the living room and looked around. It was spotless, with no sign a party took place the night before. “Did you do all this?”  
“Good God, no,” he laughed. “When have you ever known me to clean your apartment? Let alone my own?”  
“Good point. So who did?”  
“Lisa Cuddy.”  
“Oh. She likes you. A lot.”  
“I know. How’re you doing?” he asked, changing the subject.  
“My head hurts. It wasn’t a dream was it? Jack’s really gone, isn’t he?”  
He made his way over to her and led her to the kitchen.”Afraid so, kiddo. Come on, I’ll buy you a drink,” he said and began another pot of coffee.   
“There better be booze in it,” she sighed as she collapsed into a chair at the table and rested her head on her folded arms.  
“Bailey’s?”  
“Perfect.”  
He fixed her coffee the way she liked it, adding a splash of the irish cream and handed it to her. Her eyes were still swollen and she looked like death itself.   
“Did you manage to get any sleep last night?”  
“Some. Thanks for staying with me last night. It helped.”  
He looked down at the floor. “Good. So what’s on the agenda for today?”  
“Well, I have to call Jack’s family,” she said, and then closed her eyes. “God...how am I going to do that? I don’t know if I can…”  
“I’ll do it,” he offered.   
“Thanks, but it should really come from me.”  
She was right, of course, but he still wanted to help. “What can I do?”  
“I’ve never had to deal with anything like this before. I don’t know what I’m supposed to do.”  
“His family will probably take care of everything. You just have to ask. I’m sure any of our friends will do whatever you need to help.”  
“You’ll help me, won’t you?” she asked, reaching for his hand.   
“You know I will.”  
She smiled and leaned over to kiss him. “You have no idea how grateful I am to have you, Greg. It felt so good being in your arms last night. Now I know why all the girls want to be with you. You make them feel good, just by being around. I feel close to you right now. I just want to go back to bed and stay there…with you...”  
She was touching and kissing his face all over, and it overwhelmed him. He knew she was dealing with some very strong emotions but this was very unlike her.  
“Amanda,” he said, softly, placing his hands over hers and stopping her movements. “You’re upset...and you’re grieving. And I don’t think you realize what you’re saying….”  
She paused and stared at him. “How dare you negate my feelings! I’m telling you how I feel and you’re…”  
“Amanda,” he sighed as she got up from the table.  
“Go home then! Leave me alone! I’ll get through this without you! Since you obviously don’t care about me…”  
“Don’t talk stupid!” he snapped back at her as he got up. “I’m not going to be your rebound guy. I’m better than that. Jack’s not even in the ground yet and you’re coming onto me? Stop and think about that. When you come to your senses, let me know. I’m outta here.”  
“Fine! Go then!”  
“I will!”  
“Good!”  
“Good!” He shouted back and slammed the door closed behind him.

Three days later, Amanda stood with Jack’s parents as his casket was lowered into the ground. Jack’s mother clung to Amanda and cried. All their friends stood behind them. Lisa stayed near the back. She wondered where Amanda’s parents were. She was especially surprised that Greg was MIA. She looked at the girl next to her.  
“It’s a shame Amanda’s parents or Greg couldn’t come,” she whispered. “It’s so sad that she’ll be alone.”  
“Her dad is in like the Marines; like an admiral or something. The aren’t here in like the States. I think they’re in like Germany. Like, I don’t know why Greg isn’t here. I mean, he totally hates things like this so maybe that’s why. But, they’re like totally best friends. I wouldn’t be surprised if they like eventually get married. They are so like perfect for each other, you know?”  
Lisa nodded. She slipped away from the girl and walked back toward her car. In the distance, she could see Greg leaning against a tree watching. Lisa held up her middle finger. He straightened up and came stalking toward her. She kept walking to her car.  
“What the hell are you doing here?” he whispered angrily.  
“Why the hell are you skulking around? Why aren’t you with her?” she snapped back.  
He looked over her head. Lisa turned and saw the mourners making their way to the long line of cars. When she turned back, he was gone.


	5. Owner of a Lonely Heart

“Hey, House, wait!” Lisa called to Greg from across the quad. Of course he ignored her so she ran across the lawn to catch up with him. “Have you seen or spoken to Amanda since the party?” she asked him.  
“Yeah I talked to her last night. She’s okay. Her professors told her to take as much time as she needs under the circumstances. What’s it to you?”  
“I just found it weird that she hasn’t been to class in a week. I’m worried about her, that’s all. It’s not easy losing someone close to you.”  
Greg arched an eyebrow. “Know that from personal experience, do you?”  
Lisa stood straighter and squared her shoulders in defiance. “Maybe. Anyway, I’m going to go check up on her.”  
Before he could stop her, she ran off.

Lisa went back to her dorm to shower and change. On a whim, she packed a suitcase and gathered up all her books and school supplies. Then she drove to the nearest grocery store and bought some food. Finally, she drove back to Amanda’s apartment. She gathered up the grocery bags and walked up to the front door. She knew she looked good in her tight jeans, low-cut pink top and wedges. House would soon regret tossing her away. She shifted the bags and knocked on the door. There was no answer so Lisa put her ear to the door and she could hear the TV on so she tried the knob and the door opened, much to her surprise. Didn’t anyone lock their doors anymore?  
She was even more surprised by the state of the apartment. It looked like someone had ransacked the place. There were pizza and Chinese take-out boxes everywhere, clothes, and papers strewn all over the floor and the air was musty from the windows being closed for days. Did she ever leave the apartment? It didn’t appear so. If Greg was such a good friend why didn’t he take better care of her?  
“Amanda?” she called out as she made her way down the hall towards the bedroom. Finally she reached the door, knocked once and then opened it.   
Amanda was in bed, still in her night shirt, eating out of a tub of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream as she watched some sad movie on the TV. The oily build-up in her hair told Lisa it probably hadn’t been washed in days.  
She stopped when she saw Lisa and put the movie on pause. “Oh, hi.”  
“I brought you some food,” Lisa explained. “I’ll just go put it away. Be right back.”  
Lisa went into the small kitchen and put the bags on the counter next to the refrigerator.  
Amanda leaned against the doorway and wiped her eyes with a tissue. “Greg isn’t here,” she said. “He called once but hasn’t been over since it happened. I miss him.”  
“I’m not here for House. I’m here for you. What do you need me to do?”   
“Nothing, I guess. The phone has been ringing nonstop since the funeral, but I don’t want to talk to anyone else.” As if on cue, the phone rang and Lisa answered it. She dealt with the caller politely and efficiently.  
Lisa began putting the food away. “Why don’t I make you something to eat?” _Great, Lisa,_ she thought. _You just found her eating ice cream. Think of something else!_ The phone rang again and Lisa dealt with the caller. She hung up and it rang again. _Amanda wasn’t kidding,_ Lisa thought as she listened to the person on the other end. She responded politely and hung up. She looked at the phone but it remained silent for the moment.  
Amanda sat at the small kitchen table and pulled her legs up against her chest. “I really need Greg,” she sniffed. “Will you call him?”  
Lisa bit her lip to hide a smile. Perfect. “You should eat something healthy. How about some vegetable soup? Then I’ll call House.”  
Amanda blew her nose and nodded. “You’re being so sweet. I can’t thank you enough for all you’ve done. I really appreciate that you cleaned the apartment up.” Then she glanced around at the messy kitchen. “Although you can’t tell now. But thanks all the same.”  
“I’m glad I can help. I know this has to be so hard.”  
Amanda began to cry again and Lisa went to hug her. Finally, she quieted and Lisa heated up the soup. While Amanda ate, Lisa found Greg’s phone number and called him.  
“What?” he growled.  
“It’s Lisa-”  
Before she could say another word, he hung up on her.  
She dialed his number again.  
“What?!?”  
“I’m calling for Amanda. She wants you to come over. She needs you,” Lisa told him and then hung up on him.  
Fifteen minutes later, he arrived and made his way through the clutter to the kitchen. His eyes narrowed as he looked at Lisa. She raised an eyebrow and stared back at him. Amanda stood and walked over to him. They stared at each other for several moments. Though they didn’t speak, Lisa sensed something pass between them. Then Greg opened his arms and Amanda stepped into his embrace. Lisa quietly cleared away the clutter in the kitchen. She went into the living room and began cleaning up. Thirty minutes passed and she could hear them talking quietly in the kitchen. Greg then went with Amanda to her bedroom for a few minutes and returned.   
“Well, you’ve done it,” he told her with a scowl. “She wants to know if you’ll stay with her. Let’s be clear, though. You may have AJ fooled but you aren’t fooling me. I know exactly what you’re up to. I’ll wait while you go get your shit out of your car.”  
She stood up and brushed past him. “I told you that you’d regret screwing me over.”  
He grabbed her arm in a vice-like grip. “You think you can intimidate me? Try again. But screwing over AJ is off-limits. Do you understand?”  
She wrenched her arm free. “Perfectly.” Walking out, she got her things from her car and brought them back in. House still stood in the middle of the living room.  
“She says you can stay in the guest room.”  
Lisa walked past him and put her things in the small guest room. When she came back, she stood toe to toe with him. Tilting back her head, she looked at him. “I happen to like her. I really do want to help her.”  
He laughed mirthlessly. “Keep telling yourself that, sweetheart. Maybe you’ll start to believe it.”  
Walking around her, he went back into Amanda’s bedroom.


	6. A Woman Scorned

A week later, Lisa lay in the bed looking out at the night sky. A full moon cast a silver glow over everything and a light frost was forming. She burrowed deeper under the covers and thought about Greg. Amanda was back at school and work so Lisa saw less of him. When he came by, he and Amanda would disappear into her room for hours. The first few times, Lisa listened at the door but all they did was talk. She never heard any sex sounds so she quit listening and studied until he left. He never looked at her or said anything. She always made sure she dressed in tight jeans that showed off her ass and sweaters that molded to her breasts. Yet, he still didn’t notice. She knew in her heart they could be happy together. All she had to do was get him to realize it, too.  
She sighed in frustration and rolled over. Pushing all thoughts of Greg out of her head, she closed her eyes and tried to sleep. She just drifted off when a piercing scream brought her fully awake. The screaming continued so she threw back the covers and raced to Amanda’s room. Amanda thrashed around in the bed, screaming. Lisa rushed toward her, saw she was asleep and obviously caught in the throes of a horrible nightmare. Lisa grabbed the phone from the bedside table and punched in Greg’s number.  
“What?” he asked sleep softening his voice.  
“It’s Amanda,” Lisa told him.  
He obviously heard the screaming. “I’m coming,” he said sounding very alert. The line went dead and Lisa went to unlock the door.  
Greg ran in a few minutes later. He wore striped pajama bottoms, a white t-shirt and was barefoot. Lisa stared at the outline of his cock through the thin material of his pajama pants. A throbbing started between her legs and her heart began to race. Ignoring her, he went straight into Amanda’s room. Lisa followed and watched from the door. He held Amanda’s hands and spoke softly to her. She awoke with a start and looked around in terror. Then she saw Greg and began to cry. He held her and Lisa closed the door and went out to the kitchen. She sat at the table and stared at nothing. She tried to control her breathing and heart rate but seeing him that way made her incredibly horny.  
Greg came out a little later. “Go back to bed. I’m going to sleep on the couch. I have to go get some clothes but I’ll be back. She wants me to stay, too.”  
He left and Lisa smiled. Perfect. Things were coming together better than she hoped and she returned to her room. Going through her things, she found one of her sheer nighties with the matching panties and changed into that. In the middle of the night, she emerged, walking past the couch where Greg was, putting a little swing in her hips for effect as she sashayed past him.  
“Now what are you doing?” he murmured as he lay there, watching her. She stopped in her tracks. The light from outside shone on her in the perfect position so she appeared almost ghost like. The moonlight made her naked body very apparent through the sheer fabric of the nightie.  
“I just need a glass of water. It’s warm tonight.”  
Seeing her like that made Greg react in a way he didn’t like, and he pulled the blankets up over himself. Damn male hormones, he cursed as he hid his budding erection from her. He was not going to give her the satisfaction of knowing she got to him. He knew exactly what she was doing.  
“Warm huh? Is that why you changed out of your “granny gown” into nearly naked?”  
“Partly,” she said with a sweet smile and carried on to the kitchen. She returned with a tall glass of ice water and sashayed past him once again.  
“You’re wasting your time, sweetie. I’ve already seen the goods. It’s no mystery anymore.”  
Lisa frowned and stormed off, Greg’s chuckle only serving to piss her off even more.  
He wondered why she was making such an effort. He made it clear he wasn’t interested and yet she continued to parade around him in tight outfits and made a real show that she cared about AJ. Which, maybe she did, but he was still skeptical of her motives there as well.  
AJ appreciated Lisa’s efforts, it was true, but she wasn’t buying it either, and she confided in Greg that she didn’t need Lisa living in her apartment anymore, even if she did chip in for rent. Seeing her try to make a play for Greg’s attention got old fast. Clearly Lisa wasn’t fully aware of Greg’s behaviour when it came to women. He was a love ‘em and leave ‘em kind of guy. He denied it of course, but it was the truth. She couldn’t remember the last time he took one of his conquests to bed more than once.  
That said, it made her wonder what drove women crazy when it came to him. After all, he was just a guy. A hot, handsome, happening guy, but still, just a guy. She also wondered what made them keep coming back. Would she ever find out herself?  
Amanda shook her head to clear it. No way. They were just good friends. That’s all they’d ever be, probably. And yet, part of her wondered what it would be like to capture the heart of the elusive Gregory House.

 

When Amanda got up the next morning, Lisa had already gone to class but Greg still dozed on her couch. That couldn’t be very comfortable and he deserved the bed in the guest room. He stirred when she started moving around in the kitchen, getting breakfast for herself and joined her. “Coffee ready yet?”  
“Just about. How did you sleep?”  
“Shitty. You need a new couch. That one is thrashed.”  
“I know. We’ve been meaning to get a new one…” she said, her voice trailing off mid-sentence.  
Greg went and poured them each a cup of coffee and handed her one.  
“I did think of something…” she said as they sat down at the kitchen table.  
“What’s that?”  
“I know you hate your apartment, and this one is too big for just me. My rent is also cheaper than what you’re paying for your tiny place. Why don’t you just move in here and then we can keep costs down and save some money between us at the same time?”  
He cocked his head to one side as he considered her offer. It was a great idea. AJ was always the practical one so of course she thought of it before he did. And with Jack gone she had nobody to help her.  
“It’s not a bad idea. But what about…”  
“Party Pants?” Amanda chuckled. “Well, she doesn’t need to be here anymore. And watching her follow you around like a lost puppy is really getting on my nerves. Why can’t she just admit defeat like the others and just move on?”  
“I don’t know. But I’m all for moving in here. It’s a bigger place than mine and it is cheaper for sure. As long as you’re sure…”  
“Very.”  
“It’s a deal then,” he said and patted her firmly on the shoulder as he got up to put away his cup. “I gotta run. I’ll see you at the bookstore. Good luck with Party Pants.”  
“Gee thanks.”

Amanda was waiting for Lisa when she came back from class. She’d packed up all Lisa’s things and put the suitcase by the door.  
“What is this?” she asked looking at the suitcase. “Are you kicking me out after all I’ve done for you??”  
Amanda rose from the couch and folded her arms. “I do appreciate all you’ve done but you can’t live here any longer. Freshmen have to live in the dorms. It isn’t fair for you to pay for your dorm room and pay rent here. I put a check in your bag to reimburse you for the rent you paid.”  
“Did House put you up to this?” Lisa asked her voice vibrating with anger. Her eyes sparked and twin spots of red appeared on her cheeks.  
“No. I need space. I need to figure things out. Somehow I have to learn to live without my husband.”  
There was no way in hell she was telling this girl Greg was moving in. There was a hardness and ruthlessness about her that she normally hid very well. Amanda was not up to dealing with some teenager going all psycho on her ass because of Greg.  
Lisa snatched up her suitcase and her books. “I can’t believe I ever felt sorry for you.” Then she stomped out slamming the door loudly.  
“Is she gone?” Greg whispered from the patio.  
“Yes. At least I hope she is. Your ass is going to be toast when she finds out you’re moving in here.”  
He smiled broadly at her. “Then she won’t find out.”  
Amanda grabbed a pillow off the couch and threw it at him. He laughed and caught it.  
“You’re incorrigible,” she laughed.  
“Eh,” he shrugged as he came in. “I found a new couch. It will be delivered by some frat boys on Saturday. Be sure you tip them well. Beer and pizza should do it.”  
He walked into the kitchen and started rummaging around in the tiny pantry.  
“And just where is this couch coming from?” she asked as she followed him. “What are you looking for?”  
“Animal crackers,” he told her pulling out the box and holding it up. Opening it, he began tossing crackers in the air and catching them in his mouth.  
“Your little tricks are not working. Where did you get a couch?”  
“A place.”  
“Well, I’ll have to talk to Jack….” Her voice trailed off and her eyes filled with tears. Greg leaned against the counter and let her cry. He learned over the past few weeks it was better to let her control her grief. Finally, she sniffed and wiped her eyes. He yanked a paper towel off the roll and handed it to her. She wiped her eyes and blew her nose.  
“When am I going to stop doing that?” she asked.  
“Dunno,” he responded. “It’s normal, though.”  
She tossed the paper towel in the trash. Leaning against the counter beside him, she grabbed a handful of animal crackers.  
“Couch,” she said as she munched on the crackers.  
Greg relaxed. She cried for shorter periods of time now. Hopefully at some point she would be able to talk about Jack without crying.  
“God, you’re persistent. If you must know, the couch is being liberated from the staff lounge. They have three couches. I doubt they’ll even miss it.”  
“No! You could get expelled.”  
“But Mom…” he whined and pushed out his bottom lip.  
“I got Jack’s life insurance money today. I’ll buy a new couch on one condition.”  
Greg groaned.  
“While you live here you absolutely cannot bring slut bunnies here to tag and release. You’ll have to find somewhere else to do it.”  
“Spoilsport.”  
They looked at each other and began to laugh.


	7. Maniac

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here there be teen angst and drama.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At this point, Cuddy is only 18. Keep that in mind as you read.
> 
> In case you were wondering, we still don't own House. Amanda, though, is all ours.

Living with Amanda was very easy, although Greg knew it would be. They got along fine, respected each other’s space and privacy and things were great. He surprised her by sticking to the rule about bringing girls home. After Lisa, he figured he’d gone through all the girls who were worthy of his attention. His interest was in one woman, and one woman only, and that was Amanda. Besides, it was time to get serious about school and buckle down if he wanted to graduate with the rest of his class.   
Of course, there were always excuses to party, and Amanda’s birthday was no exception. It wasn’t a milestone birthday, but she deserved something fun. She didn’t go out or do much of anything since Jack’s death and he was worried about her sinking into a deep depression. He knew she was depressed, even though she tried to cover it up. He had his eye on her and noticed her retreating more and more. Throwing a party for her seemed like a good idea. He hoped being surrounded by friends would bring her out of her sadness, at least for one night.

Saturday night came and Greg played it casual, sitting in front of the TV, waiting for people to show up at the designated time. Amanda didn’t suspect a thing, although she did ask him why he was home and not out banging a new co-ed. He simply shrugged it off, claimed that he banged them all, there was nobody left, and that he was looking to spend the night in chilling out. She seemed to accept that answer and he was glad.  
An hour later, the buzzer sounded to let him know that the party had started and he let them in. “Hey AJ,” he called to her as he got up to unlock the door for their friends.   
She came out of the bedroom dressed in her usual jeans and T-shirt. “What?”  
He opened the door and five people stormed in, cheering, one of them holding a birthday cake large enough to feed an army. Another couple of guys carried a large beer keg.  
“Happy Birthday,” he said, looking a little sheepish, yet proud of himself.  
She looked stunned. “You didn’t…”  
“I did. So sit yourself down and just enjoy tonight. Can you do that for me?”  
She looked around at the faces of her friends and then smiled, pretending to look put upon. “Oh...if you insist.”  
He smiled, leaned over and gave her a chaste peck on her cheek. “Good. Then let’s get this party started!”  
He went over to the stereo and cranked it up. A classic song by The Stones filled the room as people kept arriving. He only hoped Lisa Cuddy wouldn’t be one of them. He kept a close eye on Amanda. Her friends seemed to be keeping her busy but he noticed she went outside by herself or retreated to her bedroom. The party was pretty good, however, and as it got closer to midnight with no sign of Lisa, he began to relax a little more.   
He got his guitar at the request of the guys for a jamming session, since some of them brought theirs and they sat in the living room playing various classic rock songs.   
“Play Misty for me?” a familiar voice said softly from behind him and he cringed. He knew that voice. He turned around and faced Lisa. As usual, she was dressed like a ten cent hooker.  
“I don’t take requests. I also don’t recall seeing your name on the invite list.”  
“It wasn’t. However, word about parties gets around fast, especially when hosted by the Great Greg House. So what’s the occasion?”  
“It’s AJ’s birthday.”  
Lisa smiled. “And where might I find the birthday girl?”  
“Don’t you freshmen have a curfew or...something?”  
“Yes. So where is she?”  
“I have no idea. But you have five minutes to find her, give her your well wishes and then you’re going back to your dorm. I’m sure your RA would love to know that you snuck out to attend a party, not to mention one where there’s alcohol present. And with you being underage.” He clicked his tongue for effect. “Now get. The clock is ticking.”  
Lisa looked at him with scorn. “Oh, don’t you worry about my curfew.”   
He looked her up and down taking in her low-cut skin tight red sweater, jeans so tight he was surprised she could walk, heavy makeup, teased curls, a pile of gold jewelry and fuck me red pumps. He turned his back on her and started to walk away. Two guys intercepted him and pulled him to the kitchen. Lisa looked around but no one would meet her gaze. Turning on her heel, she went looking for Amanda. She made her way through the throngs of people talking, laughing and drinking. Then she went out to the patio. When she didn’t find Amanda there, she made her way back inside and looked in the empty bathroom before opening the door to Amanda’s bedroom. Finally, she went down the short hall to the guest room. Flicking on the overhead light, she gasped. Instead of the twin bed covered with a simple blue bedspread was a queen sized bed made up with blue sheets, a brown comforter, four plump pillows and a woven blanket. On the walls were posters of blues artists. Next to the dresser was an expensive stereo system. The closet door was partially open and Lisa recognized several of Greg’s t-shirts. He lived here. He lived here with Amanda. That was the reason Amanda wanted her out. She stalked out of his room and hunted him down. She found him sitting at the kitchen table with some of his friends.  
“You’re living here??” she screeched her face twisting in anger.  
He rolled his eyes and reached for his beer bottle. She snatched it from his hand and threw it against the wall. The bottle shattered and beer sprayed everywhere.  
“Get a grip, Cuddy! Jesus!” he hissed as he stared at her and then the mess around him.  
“YOU MOVED IN WITH HER???”  
He flinched at the sheer volume of her voice. Standing, he faced her and she slapped him. Hard. His ear started to ring from the impact and he felt his face burn where her hand connected with his cheek. There would probably be a handprint there. Fucking great. That’s all he needed.  
“Get the fuck out,” he said in a soft, dangerous voice. “You weren’t invited, so haul that massive ass of yours out of here.”  
“YOU FUCKING ASSHOLE! DID YOU PAY THOSE BOYS TO KILL HER HUSBAND SO YOU COULD HAVE HER??”  
Lisa’s screaming brought Amanda running into the kitchen.  
Lisa reached out to hit Greg again but one of his friends grabbed her. She began kicking out at Greg and one of her stilettos flew past his head, missing him by inches.  
Amanda came to stand in front of Greg. She was almost as tall as he was, and towered over Lisa.  
“Get out of our house, you crazy bitch! If you come near either of us again, I’m calling the cops!” Amanda told her. She looked at the man holding Lisa. “Get her out of here now! And make sure she doesn’t sneak back in.”  
“You’ll be sorry!” Lisa shouted as she was carried out. “You’ll regret letting him live with you, you ungrateful bitch!”  
Someone opened the front door and Greg’s friend tossed her out onto the grass. Her shoe landed on her back. Grabbing it, she got up and hobbled away, crying uncontrollably.

Once the fuss died down, Greg went looking for Amanda and found her outside on the patio, staring into space. “Some party, huh?” he said as he leaned against the railing.  
“Yeah.”  
“Did you have fun at least?”  
Amanda shrugged. “Yeah it was fine.”  
“Fine, huh?” he took a few steps closer. “What’s going on?”  
She looked at him. “What do you mean?”  
“I mean you’re not the AJ you used to be.”  
“Oh, well forgive me for being a grieving widow,” she snapped and started to leave but he grabbed her hand. “Let go!”  
“No. I’m not the only one who’s noticed changes in you lately. You don’t play your video games, you don’t listen to your records, and when you do, it’s always sad metal ballads. And at work you don’t talk to anyone unless you have to. Look, it’s one thing to grieve, nobody expects you to get over losing your husband anytime soon. But when it starts to affect your life, then maybe you need to take a step back and ask yourself what’the problem really is.”  
“My problem right now is people sticking their noses where they don’t belong!”   
“Oh, so we can’t show concern?”  
“I’m dealing with it, Greg! It might not be to your specifications, but last I checked, you’re taking classes in Nephrology and Infectious Disease, not Psychology. What the hell do you know about anything?”  
“You don’t need a Psych degree to know when someone’s depressed. You used to throw some wicked parties back in the day and you could drink even me under the table. You don’t even do that and I know how much you love your Fireball whiskey. So don’t lie to me, AJ. This is me you’re talking to. I can tell when you’re lying to me and it hurts because you don’t have to lie to me. I thought we told each other stuff. No matter what. Or at least, that’s how it used to be.”  
AJ released her hand from his. “Everybody lies, Greg. You of all people taught me that.”  
“Friends don’t lie to each other,” he pointed out as he followed her inside.  
“I’m tired...I’m going to bed.”  
“Your problems will still be here in the morning. Sleeping doesn’t make them go away.”  
“Lay off, Greg,” she sighed. “Your little scene with Lisa was exhausting.”  
“Yeah, well, I didn’t think she’d show up.”  
“Of course she’d show up, Greg! She’s obsessed with you. Why, I don’t know. You’re the biggest ass I know, but somehow you managed to bewitch her.”  
He chuckled at the word “bewitch” and then shrugged. “It was just sex.”  
“No Greg, it’s not just sex to women. Especially not to me. Jack is the only man I’ve been with. And the prospect of getting back out in the dating pool scares the hell out of me!”  
“Nobody expects you to get out and start dating. Jack’s only been gone two months.”  
She sighed and flopped down on her bed. “I don’t think I’ll ever love anyone as much as I loved that guy, Greg.” She grabbed Jack’s pillow and held it against her. Greg sat down on the edge of the bed and gently rubbed her back.   
“You’re young, AJ. You’ll find someone else. He won’t be the same as Jack, but you will be able to love someone again.”  
“I hope you’re right. I don’t want end up one of those crazy cat ladies,” she chuckled as she closed her eyes and held the pillow closer to her. “I’m gonna sleep now. Go back and enjoy the party. It sounds like it has no intention of stopping anytime soon.”  
“Yeah, I’ll kick everyone out. It’s late. I wanna hit the sack myself.”  
“See you in the morning,” she yawned and closed her eyes. Greg watched her for a minute. His heart literally ached. He hated seeing her sad. While they’d been through a lot over the years, he’d never seen her that down and he wasn’t sure what to do or how to help her.   
He returned to the party and upon telling people the birthday girl decided to call it a night, they began to trickle out until he was finally alone. He cleaned up the mess in the living room and once that was done, went to bed.   
His thoughts kept running back to Amanda and how to help her. One thing he knew was that he was going to make sure she got the help she needed. What were friends for, right?  
He closed his eyes and fell into an uneasy sleep.


	8. Never Surrender

While Greg and AJ ate lunch outside in the courtyard, someone from the office came jogging over to them. “Hey, Greg, the Dean wants to see you.”  
Amanda looked concerned and then realization hit her. “Greg, you didn’t….”  
“It’s probably something stupid. I’ll be right back.”  
“I hope for your sake you’re right!” she called after him.

Two hours later, Greg stormed into the apartment, slamming the door behind him, muttering curses under his breath as he made his way to his room, slamming that door shut too, interrupting Amanda’s studying. She had a very uneasy feeling as she closed her books and went to Greg’s room. She didn’t bother knocking and he glared at her as he stood in his closet, taking his clothes out of it.  
“What’s going on?” she asked even though she already suspected.  
“I’m done here.”  
“What do you mean done?”  
“I mean done as in done. They kicked me out.”  
“Are you serious? You really went through with it?”  
“I was trying to prove a point. It backfired big time.”  
“You have to fight this, Greg!”  
“How? I cheated. They don’t mess around with that kinda stuff here. In high school you get a slap on the wrist and detention. In university you get suspended or expelled. And since my track record is anything but stellar around here, they decided to cut their losses and just expel me.”  
“I can’t believe you!” she yelled. “You have to do something, Greg! You don’t get this close to something and then piss it away!”  
“There’s lots of medical schools out there. I’ll get into one of them.”  
“Oh yeah? And just how do you plan on doing that? With a glowing recommendation letter from the Dean and your Professors? Dream on! You’ve seriously just fucked up your career and for what? To prove that exam grading is a joke?”  
“It is a joke!”  
“Well I’m sure there were better ways to prove it than cheating off of Von Lieberman!”  
“It’s done, AJ,” Greg said as he sat down on his bed and scratched his forehead with his thumb. “I’ll figure something out. I was getting bored with this place anyway and sent my transcripts to Johns Hopkins months ago. I haven’t heard anything back from them yet but I figure I’ll just show up there and see what happens. They can either tell me to take a hike or take a chance on me. My grades speak for themselves. You don’t have to have the bedside manner of Patch Adams to be a doctor. It’s all about the grades and putting in the work.”  
Amanda was speechless. “Well, let me know how that works out.”  
He blinked. “You’re not going with me? Weren’t you accepted to Hopkins back in the day?”  
“Yeah, but I like it here, Greg.”  
“Jack is gone, AJ,” he said softly. “Why stay?”  
“My friends are here and I’ve only got a couple years to go before graduation and then residency. I don’t want to start all over.”  
“You wouldn’t be. You’d simply pick up where you left off.”  
“Yeah but I’ve made a name for myself, I like the book store and being a TA. I wouldn’t have those things if I transferred to Hopkins. I’d have to start from the ground up and I’ve worked too hard to throw it away.”  
He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “So that’s it? Our ten year friendship is over?”  
“It won’t end just because you’re leaving. We’ll always be friends, Greg.”  
“What if…” he began, his mouth suddenly dry, and he licked his lips, “what if I want it to be more than that?”  
“Greg,” she sighed as she covered his hand with hers. “Long distance relationships rarely work out.”  
“It’s not that far.”  
“Far enough. You might as well be in a different country. It’s not like we can just hop on a plane and visit each other, and it’s too far to drive.”  
“It’s only about nine hours,” he grumbled but he knew she was right about everything. She always was the level-headed one between them.  
“I hate thinking it will end this way,” Greg said as he looked at her his intense blue eyes staring at her full, pink lips. Why hadn’t he noticed them before? Or maybe he had and just chose not to think about them because they belonged to Jack.  
But Jack was no longer in the picture, and Greg was going away. He didn’t know when he’d see Amanda again. He didn’t think twice as he leaned over and softly brushed his lips against hers, hoping she wouldn’t be repulsed by the gesture and pull away from him.  
She didn’t respond at all so he was the one to pull away, his eyes searching hers for some indication she wasn’t going to smack him.  
“Why did you do that?” she asked, her voice even. She was upset. “You think that’s going to make it any easier on me when you go? Did you think “give her a kiss and she’ll follow you anywhere?” she stood up and headed for the door.  
“AJ, come on…”  
“It’s no use starting what we can’t finish. I can’t start with you. It’s not fair.” Then she turned around, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. “If you felt that way, why didn’t you say something sooner?”  
“I wanted to but…”  
“You didn’t want to be the rebound guy,” she finished for him. “So you’ve said. Jack’s been gone more than a year. I’ve accepted it. It hasn’t been easy. And honestly, if I was going to date someone, I wanted it to be you because you’re the only one I trust. But I didn’t want to end up as just another notch on your bedpost.”  
Greg felt like he’d been stabbed in the heart. Did she really think that of him? After Lisa, he’d stopped sleeping around. He had a couple of short-term relationships but nothing ever came of them because he knew they’d never measure up to Amanda. He figured he had plenty of time to prove himself worthy, she’d come to her senses and realize that what he did, he did because of her. It was always about her. And now he royally screwed everything up. Fuck.   
When he glanced up, she had left the room. He didn’t even hear her go, he was so wrapped up in his thoughts.

 

He spent the next few days putting everything in boxes. Word got out pretty fast he’d been expelled and even Lisa was shocked and dismayed by the news.  
When the day came for him to leave, Amanda helped him pack his new Dodge Dynasty with all his worldly possessions and saw him off. He hated goodbyes, so he kept things short and sweet. “You’ll call me when you get there?” she asked him.  
“Yeah. I talked to some pencil-pusher in the head office and he told me that my transcriptions were under review and that they’d let me know if I was in when I got there. I was lucky that a few of my professors wrote me decent letters of recommendations so not all of them were out to get me. I have a good feeling about this. I think Hopkins is where I need to be.”  
“I’m happy for you,” she said, as she placed her hands on his shoulders. Then she leaned in and softly kissed his scruffy cheek. “You better shave before you meet with those people. And dress properly.”  
He rolled his eyes. “Yes, Mother.”  
“I know you won’t do any of those things. You have to set your own boundaries and test your own limits. But please, don’t blow this.”  
“I won’t. I’ll be good, I promise,” he said and crossed his heart.  
“Okay. You better get going. Nine hours is a long drive, and that’s assuming there’s no construction.”  
“I mapped out a route. Don’t worry, AJ,” he said and gave her a small, sexy smile.  
She sighed and shook her head. “Get outta here or I’ll end up getting in the car and going with you.”  
“You still can,” he said.  
“No, I can’t. This is where I need to be. We’ll see each other again soon, right? Like Christmas break, maybe?”  
He nodded. “That could work. We’ll figure something out when the time comes.”  
“I’ll miss you,” she said softly, looking down at the grass.  
“I’ll miss you, too,” he said and put his hand under her chin lifting her face so he could look in her eyes. Again, they were glistening and he captured a tear with his finger. “No tears, remember?”  
She shook her head as if to clear it and smiled. “Right. I’ll talk to ya later.”  
“Yep.” He stepped back from her and closed the trunk lid before getting in the car. He started it up and she could see him glance at her through the rear view mirror as pulled away from the curb. When the car turned the corner and went out sight, Amanda shivered, blinked away the rest of her tears and went back inside.


	9. Separate Lives

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fifteen years later.....

Despite their best efforts, Greg and Amanda eventually lost touch. She heard through friends that Greg graduated at the top of his class at John’s Hopkins and completed his residency there. After that, she lost track of him. She graduated from Michigan with top honors and went on to do her residency at The Mayo Clinic and work at a few hospitals. After a few years, she was offered a position as the head of the Internal Medicine Department at Princeton Plainsboro Teaching Hospital.   
Amanda loved working at PPTH. She bought a house and spent her downtime with a few close friends. She dated but nothing ever came of it. Now when she thought of Jack, she remembered the happy times they shared. However, she found herself thinking about Greg more often. She realized there was a hole in her heart that only he could fill.

Amanda finished rounds and sat down at her computer to read her email. The current Dean of Medicine was retiring and his replacement was due to start work the following Monday. On Friday, there would be a staff meeting in the auditorium to introduce her. Amanda gasped and leaned forward when she saw the name of the new Dean. Lisa Cuddy.  
“Fuck,” Amanda sighed. She sat back and rubbed her hand over her forehead. She hadn’t seen Lisa since the night Amanda threw her out. Amanda hoped Lisa matured in the years since then.   
A knock sounded on her door. She got up and opened it. Lisa stood before her. She wore a black suit with a high necked white blouse and black pumps. Her hair was twisted in a smooth knot on the back of her head. Amanda noticed a glint of malice in her heavily made up blue eyes.  
“May I come in?” she asked with a sheepish smile.  
“Yes, of course,” Amanda told her as she stepped back.  
Lisa walked in and sat down on the couch in front of the window. “I suppose you’ve heard that I’m the new Dean?” Was there a hint of triumph in her voice?  
Amanda sat down on the other end of the couch putting as much space between them as possible. “I did. Congratulations.”  
“I just wanted to come and let you know how sorry I am for the way I acted at your birthday party,” she said. This time Amanda definitely heard insincerity in her voice.   
“Thank you.”   
Amanda shifted on the couch and crossed and uncrossed her legs. She reached up and smoothed her hair before adjusting the sleeves of her navy blue dress. She willed herself to stop fidgeting when she saw Lisa watching her with disdain. Was Lisa here to fire her?  
As if she read her mind, Lisa crossed her legs and smirked. “I’m not going to fire you. I just wanted to see you.”  
“Okay.”  
Lisa folded her hands and looked around the office. “So, how’s House?”  
Amanda bit her lip and looked down. So, this was the real reason for Lisa’s visit.  
“I don’t know,” she told Lisa. “I haven’t seen him in years. We lost touch when he transferred to Hopkins.”  
Lisa looked at her in surprise. “Really? You two were living together.”  
“We just lived in the same apartment.”  
“I heard he got expelled for cheating.”  
“He did but he got into Hopkins and did very well there. So I heard.”  
Silence descended on them. Amanda didn’t know what else to say to her. They parted on such bad terms and even though Lisa seemed mature there was still something about her that Amanda didn’t trust.  
“I’m in love with him,” Lisa said softly. “I wish I wasn’t but I can’t help it. I’ve tried to get over him but I can’t.”  
Amanda sat in stunned silence. Lisa turned and smiled sadly. “I was hoping you knew where to find him.” With that, she stood and walked out.

Having Lisa as a boss was as difficult as Amanda thought it would be. She made several changes most of the staff hated like opening a free clinic and requiring the doctors to work there without paying them for their time. She also had her office expanded and redecorated but let half the lab staff go. After a couple years passed, everyone got used to her and things settled into a somewhat smooth rhythm. Amanda still headed up the Internal Medicine department but Lisa cut her budget and she had to lay off half her staff. She didn’t complain because the department heads who did were fired.

One sunny spring day. Amanda was doing her time in the clinic when she heard a commotion in the waiting room.  
“I need a fucking doctor now, you moron!” a familiar voice raged. “I’m in PAIN!!”  
“Excuse me,” Amanda said to the woman sitting on the exam table. She left Exam Room Two and came face to face with Greg. He looked at her in surprise and then groaned in pain.  
“What’s wrong?” she asked taking his arm and leading him into Exam Room One. She helped up onto the exam table and he lay back gripping his right thigh.  
“I was playing golf when my leg started to hurt.” He looked at her with pain filled eyes. “It’s bad, AJ.”  
Amanda went out and called for a nurse. She ordered an MRI and within minutes had Greg in a wheelchair. When they arrived in the MRI room, an orderly helped him get changed into a hospital gown and onto the MRI table. Amanda sat down at the computer and once Greg was in the machine she waited for the images to appear. When they did, she grabbed the phone and scheduled him for immediate surgery. Then she went out and waited as he slid out of the machine.  
“You have an infarction in the femoral artery,” she told him. “You’re going straight to an OR.”  
She turned to a nurse who hovered nearby. “Get him prepped for surgery and give him ten of morphine for the pain.”  
Greg reached out and grabbed her hand. “I want you to do the surgery.”  
Amanda looked down at him. “I shouldn’t.”  
“I don’t trust anyone else.”  
She nodded and went to scrub in.

Lisa stood in the doorway of the recovery room. Amanda sat at Greg’s bedside holding his hand. She strode forward.  
“Dr. Evans, you still have clinic duty,” she said.  
Amanda looked up at her in surprise. “I would like to be here when he wakes up.”  
“You’ve removed the clot and there are plenty of nurses to monitor him. Get back down to the clinic now,” Lisa ordered.  
Amanda stood and looked down at Greg. Reaching out, she smoothed his hair.  
“Get back to work,” Lisa told her with a dangerous edge to her voice.  
Amanda knew that tone all too well, so she left.  
Once she was gone, Lisa sat down beside Greg’s bed and took his hand.  
“I’m going to take care of you,” she whispered. “And now we can finally be together.”  
Amanda was seething as she returned to the clinic. It seemed Lisa hadn’t changed after all. So much for hoping. She was still as obsessed with Greg as she was years ago. And, Amanda hated to admit, she felt something powerful when they looked at each other in the clinic. It was as if no time had passed between them at all. Isn’t that what it was supposed to be like with good friends? She hoped he felt the same way. The fact he still called her AJ and only trusted her to do his surgery spoke volumes.   
A smile crossed her face when she thought of that. Lisa must’ve been livid when she found out who did the surgery. It was entirely unethical but really, she was the only one qualified to do such a difficult operation. And it was a success. If he’d waited another day he might’ve lost his leg. The muscles were already dying because of the clot. She was able to stop that from happening. He would be fine once the leg healed. She just hoped he wouldn’t leave town too soon and wondered why he was even in Jersey.   
When she finished her clinic hours, she had time to check on Greg, but discovered he’d been moved to a private room upstairs, and Lisa was listed as his attending. “Son of a bitch!” she hissed. The nurse nodded in understanding. She was young, with long, straight platinum blonde hair woven into two braids.  
“Dr. Cuddy knows Dr. House?”  
“You could say that, yeah. But so do I. We were friends in med school years ago.” She glanced into his room. “Has he woken up yet?”  
“Briefly.” The nurse’s lips formed a straight, narrow line. “He called me incompetent and told me to hop back on the Swiss Miss truck where I belong.”  
Amanda held back a laugh. “His bedside manner always left something to be desired. Feel free to snipe back at him. He’d probably like it.”  
She slid the door open to Greg’s room and went over to his bedside. His vitals were good and he appeared to be sleeping. Until he spoke.   
“Why don’t you take a picture, it’ll last longer.”  
“You’re less threatening when you’re asleep,” she said and took a seat next to the bed.  
“How did it go? The surgery, I mean.”  
“Excellent. I’m very pleased. Your leg will be fine. You look like you keep in pretty good shape. That helped. It could’ve been a lot worse.”  
He nodded, still looking intently at her, and it stirred something deep within her. Something she hadn’t experienced in years. She forgot what it felt like.  
“So what brought you to Jersey?”  
“My friend and I were here for the Stones concert.”  
“Do you want me to call this friend and tell her you’re okay?”  
“She’s a he, and yeah, that would be great. Got a pen?”   
She handed him a pen and her scrip pad and he wrote down a number. “His name is James Wilson.”  
Amanda blinked. “Not James Wilson the Oncologist?”  
“You know him?”  
“Not personally, but I know of him. He’s amazing. I’m surprised Lisa hasn’t snapped him up for her hospital.”  
“She just might. I hear she usually gets what she wants. I wouldn’t be surprised if she offered me a job here.”  
“Aren’t you already working somewhere?”  
He shook his head and gave her a crooked grin. “Not anymore. I’m a free agent. For now anyway.”  
“It seems some things don’t change,” she said with a smirk as she got up. “If you’re not getting kicked out of med schools, you’re getting kicked out of hospitals.”  
“He probably couldn’t even get a job at a blood bank,” Lisa said from the doorway. “However, he’s the best damn doctor I know.”  
“You flatter me,” Greg said and batted his lashes at her.  
“That was my intention. I have an opening for a new department in Diagnostics. I’ve been keeping tabs on you. I know potential when I see it and I think you’d be an asset to the reputation of this hospital. You’ve made a name for yourself, regardless of your bedside manner and record. You get results. That’s all that matters. I’m here to offer you a position as department head if you want it.”  
“It’s a very generous offer,” he said. His head was spinning with the possibilities.   
“Yeah, and think hard about it,” Amanda told him. “Read the fine print.”  
“Don’t you have lab results to be checking or...something?” Lisa reminded her.  
“I’m on my lunch break,” Amanda replied, defiantly. “But, I do have an important call to make. I’ll be back in a few minutes, Greg.”  
When Amanda was gone, Lisa took her seat and placed a contract in front of him.   
“Is this for real?” he asked her.  
“Yes. I want PPTH to be the best. You can help with that. Having you here will bring the donors, thus allowing us to make improvements to equipment and other things that need to be done.”  
“So I’m the lure to bring in the big fish?”  
She smiled. “I wouldn’t put it that brutally but sure. Let’s go with that.”  
“It’s a lot to think about.”  
“There’s no rush. Take your time. How long have you been out of work?”  
“Not long. A month.”  
“But you’re already getting restless. I can see it.”  
“You don’t know me. You haven’t seen me in years. Why the job offer out of the blue?”  
“You’re the best. I want the best for this hospital. I can give you what most hospitals won’t; full autonomy. It’s a win-win for both of us. You get a job, your own department and I get your reputation which will mean something to this hospital.”  
“I’ll think about it,” he said and shoved the contract and table aside. “Now I need a nap. You can go. Jimmy will be here soon.”  
Lisa nodded and left just as Amanda returned, carrying two cups of coffee for her and Greg. Both women ignored each other as they passed.  
“Coffee?’ she asked as she set a cup down next to Greg’s bed.  
“You’re an angel,” he said as he took the cup and sipped from it.   
“James is on his way.”  
“Cool.”  
Amanda pointed to the contract. “Is that what I think it is?”  
“Probably. Should I be considering this?”  
“Probably not, but it depends on you. How bad do you need to work, and how much shit are you willing to put up with?”  
Greg studied her. She wasn’t smiling.  
“That bad, huh?”  
Amanda shrugged. “There’s crap at any place you work at. There just seems to be more of it here. And I’ve worked in a few hospitals before I came to this one. It was fine, and then Lisa took over.” Then she sighed. “Look, I’m not saying you shouldn’t do this, but read the contract very closely. Some things are non-negotiable.”  
Her pager went off and she checked it. “I have to run. I’ll be back later. Want me to bring us some dinner?”  
“Like a date? Here at the hospital? You always were a hopeless romantic.”  
Amanda smiled at him. “Hopeful. Later!”


	10. (Just Like) Starting Over

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Enter Wilson....

When Amanda arrived at Greg’s room with dinner, she saw a younger man sitting in a chair across from his bed laughing with Greg about something. She figured he must be James Wilson and opened the door. Both men looked at her, and Wilson immediately stood up.  
“I hope I’m not interrupting. I just brought Greg something to eat that didn’t come from the cafeteria.”  
“You must be Dr. Evans,” Wilson said as he extended his hand to her.  
“Dr. Wilson, I presume?” she said with a smile as she took his hand and shook it. It was very soft; like he’d never done a hard day's work in his life.  
“I am indeed. House has told me a little about you, and he told me you were beautiful but I figured he was exaggerating. He wasn’t.”  
Greg rolled his eyes. “Wow, could you be any more obvious, Wilson? Stay away from him, AJ. He’s already on wife number two. For how long remains to be seen.”  
“Shut up, House.”  
“Make me,” Greg said with a cocky grin. It was that very same grin that caused a flutter in Amanda’s belly. “Now get outta here. AJ and I have a hot date. Well, as hot as it can be in a hospital room. Make yourself useful and keep the she-bitch away from here.”  
“You mean Lisa Cuddy? I saw her when I came in and she told me she wanted to talk to me so I guess now would be a good time to see what she wants.”  
“Good luck.”  
They watched him leave then Amanda pulled their dinner from the bag. She placed a styrofoam container and a styrofoam cup with a lid and straw on the table. Greg opened the container and grinned at her. The tantalizing scent of warm corned beef and onion rings filled the room.  
“A Reuben,” he said taking it out and biting into it. “No pickles. You remembered.”  
“Yep. And the onion rings are extra crispy just the way you like them.”  
He took another bite of the sandwich and reached for his drink. “Root beer?” he asked with a raised brow.  
She nodded and opened her own meal. Pulling out her burger, she took a huge bite of it.  
“Still have a healthy appetite, I see,” he smirked.  
“I missed lunch.”  
The door to his room slid open and Lisa walked in. She frowned when she saw them. Turning on her heel, she disappeared and then returned with an orderly.  
“Get rid of that food,” she told the young man. She looked at Amanda her eyes hard. “He just had surgery. I put him on a special diet. He’s still recovering.” Looking at House, he face softened and she smiled. “I don’t want you to get sick.”  
Greg tossed the sandwich back in the container and the orderly took it and the drink. Amanda stared at him in shock. She never knew him to back down so easily, especially when it came to his favorite foods. Lisa walked out again and returned carrying a tray with clear broth and what looked like tea. She set it on the table in front of Greg.  
He looked at the broth and sighed. Picking up the spoon, he began to eat the broth.  
“I offered Doctor Wilson a job,” Lisa told Greg ignoring Amanda. “He’s going to be the new head of the Oncology Department.”  
“What about Doctor Rivers?” Amanda asked shock tinging her voice.   
“He’s going to be retiring.”  
Amanda shook her head and gathered up her dinner. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” she told Greg.  
“Oh, Doctor Evans,” Lisa said in a saccharine voice. “I expect to see you in my office at nine in the morning.”  
“Fine.”  
Once she was gone, Lisa turned to Greg. “So, have you thought about my offer? You’d get to choose your own team. You’d have your own office and your team would have an office. You can choose your own cases. What do you say?”  
Greg put down his spoon. “Hand me the contract and a pen.”  
Lisa smiled broadly as she watched him sign the contract.

Amanda walked into Lisa’s office the next morning and saw Doctor Winters and Doctor Vasquez standing in front of her desk.  
“Oh, good, you’re all here,” Lisa said from behind her. She swept past Amanda and sat down at her desk. “I’m moving Doctor Winters and Doctor Vasquez into new offices. We’re very fortunate to have Doctor Greg House joining our staff as the head of our new Diagnostics department.”  
“May I ask why we’re being moved?” Doctor Winters asked carefully. Like everyone else, he knew to be careful with the mercurial Dean.  
“Doctor House needs an office and so will his team. I expect you all to be out of those offices by the end of the day. My assistant will show you two to your new offices. We’ll be starting renovation tomorrow.”  
The men left the office rather quickly. Amanda couldn’t blame them. They still had their jobs. Amanda looked at Lisa who looked back at her with undisguised venom. Was this it? Was Lisa going to fire her now that Greg was joining the staff?   
“What about me?” she demanded. At the moment, she didn’t care if she pissed Lisa off.  
“Well, I’m glad you asked, Doctor Evans. I’ve talked it over with the board and we’ve decided the Internal Medicine department is...well...dead weight and unnecessary. So, I’m moving you to the ER.”  
“Doctor Woods is the head of the ER. Is she retiring, too?” Amanda asked sarcastically. She knew Lisa got rid of older doctors by forcing them to retire.  
“No. You’ll work for her.”  
“You’re demoting me??”  
“I’m moving you because your department is being eliminated. At least you still have a job,” Lisa replied silkily.  
Amanda mentally counted to ten before speaking. “Is that all?”  
Lisa leaned back and put her feet up on her desk. Her skirt slid back revealing her thighs. “We’re having a staff meeting on Friday. You’ll find out the rest then. I suggest you go start packing.”  
Amanda turned on her heel and stalked out. She ran into Wilson but ignored him and headed to her office. Boxes were stacked outside her door and she grabbed them. A half-hour later, a maintenance worker helped her carry the boxes out to her car. Once the boxes were loaded, she tipped the man and went to the ER. Doctor Woods saw her and motioned her over to the nurse’s station.  
“Hey,” she said running a hand through her short silver hair. Like everyone else, she wore scrubs, a lab coat and comfortable shoes. “I just heard. I’m thrilled to have you but man she really screwed you over. You’re basically starting over. I’m really sorry.”  
“I feel like I should quit but who knows what kind of recommendation I’ll get from her.”  
“I heard she’s going to cut all our salaries to finance this new department.”  
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Amanda hissed. “How can she do that? We have contracts.”  
“She’s supposed to give us all new contracts. I have a feeling a lot of people will leave. Luckily, I don’t need the money and she leaves us alone down here.”  
Amanda put her head in her hands. So, this was how it felt to be stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Lisa did offer new contracts to all the employees and everyone got a rather sizeable pay cut just as Doctor Woods predicted. Then the mass exodus began. Doctors, nurses, lab techs, and support personnel began quitting. Lisa seemed to anticipate this because all the open positions were quickly filled. Greg got a huge office and conference room with glass walls and new furniture that he got to choose. Amanda soon heard he didn’t have to work in the clinic like everyone else. Between her shifts in the ER and clinic duty, Amanda worked over ninety hours a week so she didn’t get to see Greg.  
It wasn’t lost on Greg that she was unhappy. In fact, she was downright miserable. He couldn’t blame her and he couldn’t shake the guilty feeling he was somehow responsible. It wasn’t fair. Not just to her, but everyone else affected as well. While he was happy to have everything he asked for, was it worth it? He tried to hire Amanda to be on his team but she turned it down, knowing full well that Cuddy wouldn’t go for it, and she was right, as usual. Cuddy told him he was only budgeted for three fellows and that the team he had was fine.   
He knew it was only a matter of time before she started looking for another job, if she hadn’t already. 

Lisa headed to Greg’s office just as he was packing up to leave for the day. “Got plans tonight?” she inquired.   
“Yeah, Wilson and I are going to the pub to catch the game. Wanna come? I know you love a good beer.”  
She considered it. Any time with Greg was a bonus as far as she was concerned. And Wilson was fun to be around.  
“Sure. Which pub? I’ll have to meet you there. I have a few things to finish up before I can leave.”  
“The Cat and the Fiddle.”  
“Great. I’ll see you later then.”  
From then on, whenever Greg and Wilson went out, Lisa insinuated herself in with them. No matter how many subtle signals she sent Wilson’s way, he never left her alone with House. So, she continued to go to games with them, play golf, play poker or just hang out watching TV and drinking beer, Somehow, someway, she would get Greg alone. 

Amanda sat at the desk in triage, rubbing her temples, eyes closed, trying to relieve a massive headache. She jumped when she felt two strong hands on her shoulders, but quickly relaxed when she smelled Greg’s unique scent as he stood behind her.   
“What’s wrong?” he asked his voice low as he gently massaged her shoulders.  
“Everything.”  
“Care to elaborate?”  
“What’s the use?” she sighed and buried her face in her hands. It killed him to see her that way and he glanced at his watch.  
“Come on, it’s lunch time and it’s nice out. We can eat outside.”  
She allowed him to guide her out of the ER and they went to the cafeteria to get their lunch before going outside, unaware that they had an audience. Lisa watched them from her office window.  
“Take anything for that headache?”  
“Yeah, it’s just taking awhile to kick in. The ER has been brutal this morning. Non-stop parade of idiots. It’s almost as bad as clinic. Almost.”  
They found a picnic table in the park across the street and ate lunch in relative silence. When they finished, she sighed. “I have to get out of here, Greg. Lisa is making my life a living hell and I can’t take it anymore. I’ve tried looking for another job but she’s making it impossible at every turn.”  
Greg frowned. “How do you know?”  
“Well, a couple of times I had interviews but somehow she found out and made my schedule so bad that I couldn’t get away to go to them. What kind of person does that? And I’m asking you because I know you’ve been spending a lot of time with her lately. Are you two seeing each other?”  
He shook his head. “We haven’t gone out on an official date. All the times we have gone out, Wilson’s been there too. I have no intention of being with her. Sometimes those college days are too fresh in my mind.” He shuddered for effect, making her giggle. Then he had a thought. “You know what would really drive her crazy?”  
“What?”  
“You and I going out.”  
Amanda blinked in surprise and her heart rate sped up. “You’re serious?”  
He shrugged. “Why not? We’re good friends. Why wouldn’t we hang out?”  
“There’s a difference between hanging out and going on an actual date, Greg. Which one are you talking about?”  
“Which do you want, AJ? When was the last time you went out and had any kind of fun?”  
“I can’t remember. I’ve been working ninety hour weeks since Cuddy put me in the ER.”  
Greg frowned. “Seriously? Okay, look. This Friday I’ll make sure you can get out of here at a proper hour but we are going out and we’re going to have a hell of a good time.”  
AJ shrugged. “I don’t think it’s going to happen but go ahead.”  
He smiled. “Trust me.”


	11. Whatta Man

“Wanna see the new Naked Gun movie?” Lisa inquired when she met up with House in the elevator. His lunch with Amanda seemed to take forever and Lisa waited another few hours before following him.   
“Thanks, but no thanks.”  
“Okay, then what about....”  
“I have plans tonight. Sorry.”  
“With whom?”  
He stepped out of the elevator when it reached his floor and of course she followed.  
“Since when is any of that your business? I work for you, it doesn’t mean I have to share my private life. There’s a reason they call it private. Now, was there something you needed or can I pack up my stuff and leave in peace?” he asked as he exited the elevator and headed for his office. She trotted behind him and stood in front of his desk, hip cocked at an angle with her hand resting on her narrow waist.  
He started shoving items into his backpack and then grabbed his jacket.  
Cuddy gave him a sweet smile. “Well, I hope your plans don’t include the company of Doctor Evans because there’s been a multi-vehicle accident and since she’s in the ER, and Woods has already left so she could be in there for awhile.”  
That was it. He’d had enough. “What the hell is your problem? Why are you treating her like this? She’s an amazing doctor, and you’re wasting her talents in the clinic and the ER when she was doing just fine before. Why can’t you just get it through your head that you and I are never going to happen?”  
“I just thought…”  
“That’s your problem. You think way too much. Just back the hell off and leave her alone, or you’re going to lose her and probably more. I’ve worked for a lot of administrators and you are by far the poorest excuse for a Dean of Medicine I’ve ever worked for.”  
“Yeah well we saw how that worked out for you. You got fired from just about every place you worked. You couldn’t even get hired at a blood bank! I got you cheap.”  
“Right. You gave me everything I wanted, because one night I gave you…”  
Her eyes widened as she hushed him and he stopped. “That’s it, isn’t it? You’re still hooked on that one night. You’ve been carrying a torch for years and now that you’ve got me in your hospital you think you own me. Well think again. I don’t need PPTH as much as you want me to believe.”   
And with that, he turned the lights off in his office and left her standing alone in the dark. He went down to the ER to see for himself. It looked like AJ had things under control but it was still busy.   
“I can’t get out of here,” Amanda told him as she worked at giving stitches to a woman. “Sometimes I wonder if Lisa didn’t cause this car accident just to make sure I was stuck in here.”  
“She’s capable of a lot of crap, causing car accidents isn’t one of them. How many more people do you have to see?”  
“Just a few.”  
“I’ll give you a hand then, but we are going out tonight.”  
“Fine,” she sighed and went back to work.

It was well after midnight before they left. Greg walked with Amanda out to her car.  
“I’m sorry,” she told him leaning against the car door. “Maybe we can try another time.”  
Impulsively, he leaned forward and kissed her. To his surprise and delight she responded. Deepening the kiss, his pulled her into his arms and she pressed against him as her tongue slid against his. His hands slid beneath her scrub top and stroked the silky skin of her back before unhooking her bra. She moaned when his hand closed over her firm breast. He rubbed the palm of his hand over her taut nipple. He sucked her bottom lip into his mouth as her hand dipped into his pants. Pulling back slightly, he looked at her. Her lips were swollen and her pupils were dilated as she stared back at him.  
“Come home with me,” he whispered.   
She nodded and he walked to his car. Amanda unlocked her car and followed him. She smiled when she saw he still drove the Dodge Dynasty he got after the accident. He hadn’t changed and that made her very happy. 

Lisa watched them from her office window. Rage bubbled up when Greg began to kiss and fondle Amanda. When they broke apart and then drove off, she knew she had to do something. Someone was stealing opiates from the pharmacy. Lisa knew it was Gail, a pharmacy tech, but no one else did. She would blame Amanda, get her arrested and then fire her. She reached for the phone and then stopped. How would Greg react? This could backfire on her and she could lose him. She wasn’t willing to risk that. Pulling her hand back, she began looking through the pile of papers on her desk. She found the one she was looking for and read it over. Doctor Alan Petrie was retiring as Dean of Medicine at Miami General. He sent out an email with a list of candidates to replace him. Amanda’s name was at the top of his list. Lisa just had to be willing to release her. She smiled and turned to her computer. She quickly typed out an email and then sat back in her chair. Perfect. She would have to wait for a response but she knew what the answer would be. Petrie and the board at Miami would jump at the chance to have Amanda and Lisa would be rid of her This way she would have Greg to herself and he couldn’t get mad about his oldest friend getting a job like that. She glanced at her watch. It was nearly two in the morning. She picked up her phone and dialed Amanda’s pager. Then she sat back and waited.

“What’s wrong?” House whispered in the darkened bedroom as he and Amanda lay on his bed holding each other. They still had most of their clothes on at this point, and she sighed heavily.  
“I’m sorry, Greg. I’m just...really tired. I can’t….keep my eyes open,” she said between yawns.   
“It’s fine. You’ve had a long day. I forgot how exhausting the ER can be. I did a stint of that at Hopkins for a few months. I don’t know how you do it. You must have super human powers or something,” he teased, making her giggle.  
“Super something,” she laughed. Her pager beeped and she groaned. “It’s fucking two in the morning….”  
House reached over and checked her pager, which sat on his table. “It’s Cuddy. Ignore it. Aren’t you supposed to be off tomorrow...or rather, today?”  
“Yeah...so why is she paging me now?”  
“It doesn’t matter. You’re not on the clock. You don’t owe her anything. Giving you only one day off every two weeks is ridiculous. Even Woods thinks so. If it were up to her, you wouldn’t be working like a Goddamn slave.” He wrapped his arms around Amanda and pulled her close, kissing her temple. “Get some sleep. We’ll talk in the morning. I’ll take you somewhere for breakfast.”  
“Mmm...sounds good,” she murmured as she snuggled closer and fell asleep minutes later, leaving him to his thoughts.  
What did Cuddy want? Why was she even still up? He knew she was up to something, and he was determined to get to the bottom of it. But in the meantime, he wanted to spend the day off with AJ. He had a few ideas, and one of them involved getting her the hell out of Princeton, even if it was just for the day.  
Morning came and Amanda woke up first. For a minute, she forgot where she was, but then she heard House snoring softly next to her and she smiled. They were both still wearing their clothes and she ran her hands through her hair as she contemplated what to do next. She reached for her pager and saw three more missed pages from Lisa. Screw it. It was her day off and she was not going into work.   
With that in mind, she got up, being careful not to wake Greg, and took a quick shower. When she emerged from the bathroom fifteen minutes later, he was already up, getting dressed. “Morning. Feel better?” he asked as he made his way over to her. All she wore was a towel wrapped snugly around her body, and her long blonde hair dripped water.  
“Much. How did you sleep?”  
“Okay,” he shrugged, still staring at her intently. He wanted to rip that towel from her and take her back to bed. But he was hungry, and he did promise to take her for breakfast.  
“I remember you saying something about breakfast.”  
“Yeah. So get dressed and we’ll go.”  
“Umm...I don’t have anything else but my scrubs from yesterday, Greg. And they’re kinda gross.”  
“Oh,” he said, and then went to his closet. He tossed her one of his band T-shirts and a pair of sweatpants. “We can swing by your place on the way to breakfast and you can change.”  
“Oh, are we going somewhere?” she asked as she took the clothes into the bathroom with her.   
“I thought we’d make a day of it. God only knows when your next day off will be.”  
“Good point. I’ll be right out.”

When they stepped out of his apartment building and got into their respective cars, Cuddy watched them from down the street, fury still bubbling just below the surface. She decided to follow Amanda, since Greg would clearly recognize her car if she followed him. She parked down the street from Amanda’s house and then watched as House pulled up shortly after. He went to the front door, rang the doorbell, and she let him in.

Amanda was changing clothes in her room so he started to snoop, checking out her CD and movie collections. He then opened the blinds and glanced out at the view of the street. Looking down the street, he happened to notice the familiar blue BMW parked down the block. He was about to do something about it until Amanda came out dressed in a crop top and a pair of Daisy Duke shorts, which showed off her long, tanned legs.  
“Niiiiice,” he said as he made his way over to her, Lisa completely forgotten for the moment. He wrapped his arms around her slim waist and pulled her against him. “You always did look hot in your Daisy Dukes.”  
She smiled at him and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Glad you approve.” They kissed once, tasting each other, their tongues exploring until the need to come up for air made them split apart.  
“We have a problem.”  
Amanda grinned as she rubbed against him, feeling his arousal through his jeans. “No problem that I can see…”  
Greg chuckled. “That’s not it. Cuddy has been following us.”  
“What? Why the hell for?”  
“I don’t know. But I have an idea. Where’s your car?”  
“In the garage behind the house. Why?”  
“We’ll take yours then. She’ll probably stay, waiting for me to come out to my car but she won’t be able to see your car leave right?”  
Amanda grinned. “Not if we leave out the back alley. You’re sadistic. I love it.”  
“There’s no reason for her to follow us. I’ll get to the bottom of that tomorrow. But in the meantime, this is our day. So let’s go. I’m hungry.”  
“You’re always hungry,” she said with a roll of her eyes as she grabbed her purse.


	12. Under The Boardwalk

After breakfast at a diner outside of town, Greg took them to Atlantic City for the day. They played slots on the boardwalk, played poker at Trump Taj Mahal and then had dinner at one of the best steakhouses in the city.  
“So do you have any idea what you’re going to do about Cuddy?” Amanda inquired as they sipped their wine.  
“I have a few ideas, but first, I’m curious to paged you at two in the morning.”  
“She paged me a few more times.”  
He put his glass down and looked at her intently. “If the opportunity presented, you’d be willing to leave PPTH, wouldn’t you?”  
“Damn right I would. But would you? You have it pretty good there.”  
“I know but look what happened to you and everyone else.”  
“What do you think she’d do if you threatened to leave?”  
House grinned. “That’s what we’re going to find out.”  
Amanda laughed. “I want tickets to that action.”

After dinner, they headed down to the beach. The sun was starting to set and the tide was out. Amanda took her shoes and socks off and started to run along the shoreline. Greg gave chase and eventually caught up to her, grabbing her hand and pulling her against him as they dropped to their knees in the sand. His lips crashed against hers and she fell back, pulling him on top of her.  
“Mmm...Greg…”  
“AJ...as sexy as this is...I don’t want to give anyone a live show. Let’s get out of here.”  
“Not just yet,” she said as she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down for another deep kiss. “It sounds weird but...I’ve wanted you this way for a long time.”  
“Really? Why didn’t you say anything?”  
“I don’t know. I think because it always seemed like Jack was with me.”  
“I know. I felt the same when I left Michigan all those years ago. Jack was always with us.”  
She looked around and then smiled back at him. “I don’t feel him here now.”  
They kissed for a few more minutes and then watched the sun go down, signifying the day was over and it was back to the grind. She drove them back to her place so Greg could get his car, but he didn’t leave. “It’s not that late yet,” he pointed out.  
“I know. I just don’t want us to rush into anything.”  
“We’re not. You said it yourself, you’ve felt this way for a long time, and so have I. Don’t you think we should act on it?”  
Amanda unlocked the back door to the house and they went inside. He was right, and she wasn’t ready for the day to end. She didn’t ever want it to end.  
“Want me to make some coffee or…” Her words were cut of when his lips took hers in a kiss that made her melt.  
“I don’t want coffee,” he said as he scooped her up and carried her down the hall, his lips claiming hers once more until they were in her bedroom. When he put her down, he went to the window and closed the blinds.  
He returned to AJ and tugged her crop top over her head, revealing her white lace bra. He traced his finger along the tops of her breasts as they looked at each other. The only light came from the dim lamp she turned on.  
“So beautiful,” he said as he ran his fingers through her long blonde hair and removed the hair tie that kept it in place.   
“You have no idea how much I’ve wanted this,” she said as she pulled up on his shirt and he tugged it over his head.  
“Probably about as much as I have,” he replied as they started walking toward the bed until she hit the edge of it and fell back on the mattress. She propped herself up on her forearms as she watched him get out of his jeans and kick them aside with his shoes, leaving only his boxers on. Then he advanced on her and lowered her against the pillows as his lips and hands began to explore her body.  
Sure, he’d seen her nearly naked before but he’d never touched her like this. Her body was solid, smooth and muscular all over. As he kissed and nibbled her neck, his hand slid down and unbuttoned her shorts, slipping a hand inside to feel her warmth. She was already wet for him and he moaned in her ear as he nibbled it. She lifted her hips and he removed her shorts, taking the lacy white panties with them, and tossing them on the floor.   
Her hands were exploring too, enjoying his strong body and the hair on his chest, raking her nails over his nipples as she kissed the base of his throat. He let out a soft groan which told her she was on the right track and her hand moved lower until it found and firmly grasped him.  
“Jesus...AJ…”  
“I love touching you….feeling your hands all over me….the way you look at me….the way you touch me. I’ve fantasized about this for years.”  
“I hope the reality is as good as the fantasy,” he whispered as he rolled them over so they lay face to face, legs intertwined. She could feel his heart beating fast when she placed her hand on his chest.  
“So far it’s a hell of a lot better.” She leaned over and they kissed again, touching and caressing each other as things quickly heated up.   
“Condom?” he asked her. He really didn’t like them, but at the moment, it was necessary.  
“Side drawer,” she murmured against his lips as she continued to stroke him. He reached across and grabbed one, but put it aside for the moment. He lowered his head and took one of her nipples into his mouth, suckling and nipping at it as she groaned and grabbed a fistful of his hair. He moved on to the other one and did the same thing while his free hand worked his magic on her core, getting her ready for him. “Oh God...Greg....please…”  
He quickly dressed himself with the condom and positioned himself at her entrance while he smiled at her. She nodded and pulled him down for a deep kiss as he very carefully slid into her.  
Amanda moaned and gripped his shoulders, her nails digging into his skin as he began to move, slowly at first.  
Her legs wrapped around his waist to bring him even closer as she arched her back and met each of his thrusts with one of her own.  
He buried his face between her breasts and his whiskers scratched her skin. She let out a deep moan when his teeth grazed her nipple and tugged on it. She threw her head back to give him access to her throat as his lips made their way to a spot behind her ear that made her gasp.  
He felt like a stallion, going faster and harder while she begged him for more and repeatedly called out his name until she reached an explosive climax which had her clinging to him. When he looked down at her, and saw the loving expression in her eyes, that was his undoing. He buried his face in her neck and let the sensations take him over the edge with her.  
Neither of them spoke for a few minutes. She gently stroked his sweaty hair as he stayed where he was, occasionally nibbling her neck, leaving his mark.  
“Now it all makes sense,” she whispered.  
“What does?”  
“Cuddy’s obsession with you. I’d be obsessed too after that.”  
He laughed and then propped his chin on his hand as he looked at her. “This was soooo much better than that. But then when you love someone, it’s always better.”  
Amanda smiled and touched his face. “You love me, huh?”  
He rolled his eyes and pretended to be put out. “Well duhh. I wouldn’t have just rocked your world if I didn’t. What kind of man do you take me for?”  
“Do you really want me to answer that?” she laughed.  
“Good point.” He got up to use the bathroom and then returned, gathering his clothes.  
“You’re leaving?” She asked, looking disappointed.  
“Well...we work tomorrow and I don’t have any clean clothes.”  
Amanda sat up against the headboard and let go of the sheet she was holding so it exposed her breasts.   
“That’s what I have a laundry room for. Go toss them in and they’ll be clean in the morning. Problem solved.”  
He tossed his clothes in the washing machine in the hall and turned it on. Then he climbed back into bed with her. “How can I resist such an offer?”  
“Mhm, you can’t,” she murmured as he returned to kissing and nibbling her neck. “You gave me a hickey, didn’t you?”  
“Yep.”  
Amanda laughed. “Cuddy is going to freak out when she sees it.”  
“She’s going to freak out anyway. Might as well go big.”  
She reached under the covers to stroke him, to which he immediately sprang to attention in her hand.“You do everything big, don’t you?”  
House hissed and closed his eyes. “God...yeah...go big or...go home.” And then he pounced on her once more.


	13. Hit Me With Your Best Shot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The crazy starts to spill over....

The next morning, Amanda walked into the ER with a huge smile on her face. Woods met her with a worried look.  
“Cuddy wants you in her office now,” Woods told her.  
Amanda’s smile dimmed slightly as she went upstairs. No matter what happened with Lisa, she refused to let anything ruin her good mood. She held the memories of yesterday and last night in her head and heart like precious gold. If Lisa started her usual ranting, Amanda would just remember being with Greg. Knowing he loved her gave her strength.

She knocked and then opened the door to Lisa’s office. Lisa sat at her desk doing paperwork and glanced up when she entered. She motioned to a chair and Amanda sat down. Lisa continued to work and then made several phone calls. Amanda sat back and thought about Greg. He was at her house and would be there when she got home. He’d driven her to work and then went to his apartment to get some clothes. Everything was still so new and they wanted to spend as much time together as possible. For the time being, they decided to spend one week at her house and then one week at his apartment. When they lived together before, things were different. Now they were older and wanted to be sure before making any huge changes.  
Finally, Lisa finished. She looked at Amanda briefly and Amanda caught the look of hate in her eyes before she looked down at a paper on her desk.  
“There’s a new position opening up I thought you’d be perfect for,” Lisa began. “Doctor Alan Petrie, Dean of Medicine at Miami General, is retiring. He wants you to take over. I don’t think I have to tell you what a huge honor this is.” She held out the paper to Amanda. “Here are all the details; your duties, salary, benefits. Think it over and get back to me by the end of the day. They really want you.” The words _though I don’t know why_ hung unspoken in the air.  
Amanda took the paper and left. When she arrived at the ER, there were patients on every bed and the waiting room was crowded. Amanda folded the paper, tucked it into her pocket and went to work. Once the most urgent cases were dealt with, she slipped into Woods’ tiny office and pulled the paper out. As she read over it, her mind began to whirl. The starting salary was in the upper six figure range, the benefits included impressive health coverage, malpractice insurance, a car allowance and coverage of any and all moving costs. Best of all, she would be the Dean at a prestigious hospital. The main drawback was the location. Did she want to move to Miami? Could she leave Greg? Would he go with her? She pulled out her cell phone and called Greg.  
“Hello?”  
“Hey, Greg. Can you come to the hospital? I want to talk to you.”  
The line was silent then he answered. “Sure. I’ll be there in a few minutes.”  
Greg came to the hospital and found her in the ER. The madness had died down and she was eating an apple in the nurse’s station while taking a quick break. God she looked good. Very few women looked as good in scrubs as she did and he wanted to just rip them and take her right over the desk. Just the thought of that made his jeans somewhat tighter and he gave his head a shake to clear it. Now was not the time. Especially when he saw the worried look on her face.  
“What’s going on?”  
She pulled the paper out of her pocket and handed it to him. He whistled when he saw the salary.  
“You have to take this,” he told her. “This is too good to pass up.”  
“It’s in Miami, Greg.”  
“Yeah, I know. It’s a major party town and it’s basically all beach, all the time.”  
Amanda laughed in spite of herself. “We’d be separated again. It didn’t go so well last time.”  
“Eh, we were young and stupid,” he told her. He hopped up on the counter and looked at the paper again. “Seriously, AJ, take this. You’ve earned this,”  
“What about us?”  
He shrugged. “It will be a major hardship for me to fly down to Miami every chance I get but I’m willing to make the sacrifice; especially during the winter. You just have to promise me you’ll either be naked or in a bikini the whole time I’m there.”  
Amanda looked at him. “I’m serious, Greg. A long distance relationship….” Her voice trailed off.  
“Look. I love you. You love me. We can do this. You have to do this. You’re miserable here,” he told her. “Take the job. Kick ass. We’ll be fine.”  
She nodded and stood up. Tossing her apple core in the trash, she smiled at him. “We can do this.”  
Looking at him, she felt as though her heart would burst with love for him. Jack had never been this supportive of her career choices. Greg reached out and stroked her cheek. She smiled and leaned in to kiss him. She pulled back and ran her hand lightly down his leg.  
“Okay. I’ll take the job. I’ll go tell Cuddy now.”  
“I’ll be up in my office. Come see me when you’re done. We’ll go out for a celebratory dinner. Or we’ll go back to your place and have more hot, sweaty sex.” He winked at her.  
“I vote for the second option.”  
“That’s my girl. Now scoot.”

Amanda knocked and then entered Cuddy’s office. She walked up to the desk and looked at Lisa.  
“I’m going to take the job,” Amanda told her.  
Lisa sat back in her chair and put her feet up on her desk. Amanda suppressed the urge to roll her eyes.  
“Good, I’ll let Petrie know right now,” Lisa responded with a smile. She picked up the phone and began to dial. Amanda turned to leave.  
“Wait,” Cuddy told her. “I’m not done with you yet.”  
Amanda turned around and sat down. She listened as Lisa told Doctor Petrie that Amanda would be taking the job. Lisa piled on the praise about Amanda and how sorry she was to be losing her. As she talked, she stared at Amanda. The vicious look in her eyes was a stark contrast to the words of praise pouring out of her mouth. When the call ended. She smiled again but it was a smile that sent dread through Amanda. Something told her she was about to see the real Lisa Cuddy.  
“You don’t need to give two weeks notice,” Lisa began in a hard voice. “I want you out of my hospital today. I want you out of Princeton as soon as possible. The farther away from House you are the better. I know you fucked him. I know you think you’re going to have a relationship with him. You’re not. He’ll never go to Miami. I’ll keep him so busy here he won’t have time to miss you.” She swung her legs down and leaned forward. “With you gone, House and I will finally be together. We already spend a lot of time together.”  
“Along with Wilson,” Amanda sneered. At this point, all bets were off. “Greg told me he loves me. Did he ever tell you that? In fact, he shouted it out several times last night while we were making love. He just told me again a few minutes ago.”  
Lisa’s face twisted with anger and color flooded her face. Amanda waited for the screaming to start. Instead, Lisa closed her eyes and took several deep breaths. She tossed her hair and smiled again.  
“I have plans for Wilson. He’ll soon be gone and then House and I will be together. I’ve waited a long time for him and I will have him. I’ll make him forget all about you. Once Wilson is gone and you’re gone, he’ll turn to me. He will love me.”  
Amanda looked at her in pity. “You can’t make someone love you. You’re delusional.”  
Lisa stood up and leaned over her desk. “Get. Out.”  
“You are one crazy bitch,” Amanda said as she stood up. As she turned to leave, Lisa shot out from behind her desk and pushed Amanda so hard she fell against the coffee table in front of the couch. Her head hit the edge and everything went black.  
Lisa put her hands on her hips and looked down at Amanda. Suddenly several nurses rushed in and knelt beside Amanda.  
Nurse Brenda looked up at Lisa accusingly. “You pushed her.”  
“She tripped,” Lisa replied coolly.  
“You pushed her and I plan to tell House.”  
The color drained from Lisa’s face. “You wouldn’t dare.”  
“Watch me.”  
Lisa narrowed her eyes. “No one will believe you.”  
“They’ll believe us.”  
“I’ll fire you all,” Lisa snarled.  
Brenda rolled her eyes.

When Amanda came to, several nurses hovered over her as Lisa knelt beside her flashing a pen light in her eyes.  
“Oh, thank God you’re okay,” Lisa sighed dramatically. “I saw you trip but I couldn’t get to you in time.” She looked at one of the nurses. “Get her down for a CT scan.” She smiled at Amanda with a malicious glint in her eyes that only Amanda could see. “Can you stand?”  
Amanda pushed her hands away and carefully stood up. The room tilted briefly. “I don’t need a CT,” she said. “I’ll be fine.”  
“Oh, I have to insist,” Lisa said with false concern. “I can’t let you leave for Miami and your new job with a possible skull fracture. Oh, Brenda? Would you stay for a minute? I want to have a word with you.”  
Amanda allowed a nurse to take her to get a CT. She didn’t have a skull fracture so the nurse cleaned and bandaged the cut. Once she left, Amanda went to clear out her locker. She debated telling the board about Lisa pushing her but since no one else saw her do it, it came down to her word against Lisa’s. The board always sided with her whenever an employee reported any misconduct. She always wondered if Lisa slept with them since they were all men. Right now, Amanda just wanted to get as far away from PPTH and Lisa as possible.

 

Greg sat at his desk, looking at the latest lab reports for his patient when Wilson came in, looking worried. “House, you should get down to the ER. Amanda had some kind of accident and she’s leaving.”  
Greg sat up straight. “Define accident.”  
“She tripped or something and whacked her head on a table in Cuddy’s office. Cuddy made her get a CT scan but there’s no skull damage, thankfully, but Amanda is cleaning out her locker. Something’s not right.”  
Greg got up and went down to the locker room where Amanda put the last few things into a box.  
“What’s going on?” he asked as he stepped closer and tipped her head up to the light so he could examine the bandage on her head.”What the hell happened?”  
“Do you want Cuddy’s version or mine?”  
“Yours obviously. And why are you cleaning out your locker?”  
“That’s part of my version. I gotta get out of here.”  
“You’re not driving home. I’ll take you.”  
“Cuddy won’t…”  
“I don’t care what Cuddy says. You’re not driving. Stay here, I’ll be right back.”  
He stormed past Lisa’s assistant who uttered a few feeble protests and opened the double doors to her office.  
Lisa looked up and saw the anger on his face. “House! If this is about Dr. Evans she did trip and she decided to leave without giving me two week’s notice. Truthfully...”  
“I’m taking her home and the rest of the day off.”  
“No, you’re not. What about your patient?”  
“I’ll give the team orders before I leave. And tomorrow, you and I are going to have a serious talk.”  
She smiled sweetly, batting her eyelashes at him. “I’ll be looking forward to it.”  
He returned her sweet smile with one of his own, but it was more malicious, and even a little scary. Her smile quickly faded. “No, Cuddy, I don’t think you will.” And with that, he turned and left her office.  
Only Lisa’s assistant heard the glass shattering in her office. She got up, threw her few belongings in her bag, scrawled “I quit” on a sheet of copy paper and left it on her desk. Her days of working for a psychotic bitch were over.


	14. Doctor, Doctor

After meeting with the team and giving them orders for the patient, he gave his car keys to Chase.  
“I need you to drive my car home for me. I’m taking Dr. Evans home in her car.”  
“Is she okay?” Cameron inquired. “I heard what happened.”  
“She’ll be fine. I’m going to take her home and play doctor,” he grinned with a wide-eyed excited expression that caused Cameron to blush and Foreman to roll his eyes.   
He went back down to the locker room where Amanda sat. She looked sad, and he wanted so badly to wrap his arms around her and comfort her, but the locker room was not the place to do it.  
“Come on. Let’s get out of here,” he said as he picked up her box and carried it to her car.   
“We’re not going to my place?”  
“Not tonight. I need to keep an eye on you and I have some things at my place that I need.”  
“What do you think’s going to happen? I just hit my head. CT scan was clean.”  
“Doesn’t mean you might not have a concussion.”   
She couldn’t argue with him on that point and her head was throbbing. “I hope you have something stronger than Tylenol at your place.”  
“Got a headache?”   
“Yeah, a big one.”  
“I’ll call in a scrip for something better and have Chase pick it up and bring it when he brings my car.”  
“Good idea. Doctor Chase is a nice guy. He sure has it bad for Doctor Cameron though,” she said with a smile. “Which is sad because she has it bad for you. Not that I can blame her.”  
Greg grinned but kept his eyes on the road. He pulled up to his apartment and helped her out of the car. “I can walk on my own just fine,” she chuckled as he took her arm and guided her along the sidewalk.  
Once inside, he got her settled on the couch and gave her the last Tylenol #3 he had on hand and a glass of water. Then he sat down next to her and checked her vitals.   
“Are you this fussy with all your patients, Dr. House?” she asked looking amused.  
“Only the ones I’m in love with. Now shut up and let me check you out. And then you can tell me what happened. What really happened.”  
“Yes, Doctor.”  
“You don’t appear to have a concussion. That’s a relief. Nobody’s going to convince me that you simply tripped in Cuddy’s office. Other than the chair you were sitting in, there’s nothing between that and the door that you could trip on. So what did happen?”  
“I’m not really sure. It all happened so fast but I think she pushed me.”  
He was pissed, and Amanda could tell.   
“Let’s start from the beginning. What happened?”  
“I went to her office to tell her that I was accepting the job in Miami, so she called Petrie herself while I was there and told him. Then she told me to clear out my stuff and that I was done at PPTH, and to get out of Princeton as soon as possible so she could have you all to herself.”  
House was surprised. Lisa really had nerve, more than he gave her credit for. “Is that so?”  
“Oh, it gets better,” Amanda said and went on to tell him the rest of it. She could tell he was just barely able to keep his anger in check.  
He got up and paced the living room, muttering under his breath as he did, and then he went down the hall to the bedroom and slammed the door. It was his coping mechanism when he was really mad. He’d been that way as long as she’d known him. It was a rare thing to get him that pissed off, but when he was, Lisa Cuddy was usually the reason. This was no different. In fact, it was probably worse.  
When he didn’t come out of the room for ten minutes, Amanda got up and went to make sure he was okay. He was sitting on the edge of the bed with his head in his hands.  
“Greg? You okay?”  
“Do I look okay, AJ? No, I’m definitely not okay.”  
She sat down next to him on the bed and reached for his hand. “Whatever happens, we’ll be okay, right?” she asked. “You’ve always been the strong one. You’ve always made me feel safe. It takes a lot to scare me, but today, in Cuddy’s office, I was scared. The things she was saying...she sounded so calm and calculated but…”  
He looked at her and nodded. “Come on, lie down,” he said and gestured to the pillows. “You need to rest.”  
“Only if you’ll lie here with me.”  
“Sure.”  
They stretched out on the bed together. He reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze. “I’ve been thinking a lot about you today. When you told me about the job in Miami, at first I was mad that you would be leaving me behind. But then I thought back on everything that’s happened since you came out here and how toxic PPTH really is. That said, when you take over the hospital in Miami, maybe there would be room for a Diagnostics department.”  
She glanced over at him. Her heart leapt in her throat at the very idea.  
“You’d seriously want to move there?”  
“Wherever you are is where I want to be. Anywhere is better than here. Patients come from all over to see me. They’ll come to Miami too. I could literally be anywhere. Cuddy brainwashed me into believing that nobody else would hire me and back then, she was probably right.”  
“But you’ve made a name for yourself. You’re world famous. You don’t need PPTH as much as she wants you to believe. And if you stayed, you know what would happen.”  
“It’s not going to happen because I’m not staying. And that will really piss her off but I don’t give a crap. She’s proven that she’s nothing but a jealous, vindictive bitch on a power trip. If I leave, she’ll lose donors, which are her lifeline.”  
Amanda rolled onto her side and placed her hand on his chest. “I would love to have you at my hospital. That would really drive her crazy.”  
Greg looked over at her. “Would you be okay with supervising me? I mean, my methods are unorthodox. Would you be comfortable saying no to me if you felt a procedure was unnecessary or a waste of the hospital’s time and money?”  
“Your methods are questionable, but you have reasons for them and you do what’s right. If the patient’s life were on the line and the procedure would make the difference between them living and dying, then I wouldn’t give a crap about money. You have a reputation for a reason. People come to you because they know you can save them. And if you can’t, you’ll try everything in your power to do so. That’s what makes you a good doctor, Greg.”  
He rolled over to face her and gently touched her cheek. “And that’s what will make you a good Administrator. You won’t play favorites like Cuddy did.”  
“No, I won’t.” Then she grinned. “Well, I might pay a little more attention to a certain department head…”  
“Lots of attention, I hope,” he said as he leaned over and kissed her.  
“Mmm...I think just about anything can be arranged,” she murmured between kisses.  
“We’ll have to talk about that. Right now, you need to rest, and then I’ll order a pizza.”  
“Sounds good.” He gave her one last quick peck and then left her alone to sleep. Then he grabbed his laptop, sat down on the couch and began to type.

 

In the morning, he was in his office before his team for once, and he brought coffee and donuts for them. He was munching on one when they came in.  
“We got your text. It sounded urgent. What’s going on?” Foreman inquired as he made a beeline for the donuts.  
“In a sec.”  
Once they were all seated around the table, he let out a long sigh. “To make a long story short, I’m leaving. Some things happened recently that made me realize that I don’t want to be here any longer.”  
Cameron frowned. “Where are you going?”  
“Miami. You probably heard that Doctor Evans was let go yesterday. She’s going to be the new Dean at a hospital in Miami and I’ll be starting a Diagnostics department there.   
Foreman snickered. “You think Cuddy’s just going to let you leave? You’re her Golden Boy.”  
“Cuddy is one of the reasons I’m leaving. I’m not going into details but look, I’m going to need a team. And I’m leaving it up to you as to whether or not you want to follow me. If you don’t, no hard feelings. If you do, great. I don’t care either way. I won’t have any shortage of applicants but you guys are good, and your fellowships aren’t over.”  
He heard the click of heels down the hall and sighed. “Incoming…”  
Lisa burst through the doors and seemed shocked to see everyone, including House, there that early.  
“House, my office. Now.”  
“Whatever you have to say you can say in front of them.”  
“This is private.”  
“On the contrary, it involves them too.”  
She marched over, grabbed the donut out of his hand and tossed it back in the box.   
“Hey!”  
“My office. Now.”  
He opened the box and took the donut back out. “I wasn’t finished. And I don’t work here anymore. Therefore your orders have fallen on deaf ears.”  
“You’re still under contract. The hospital will sue you if you break your contract. You’ll go back to being worthless. I’ve made you and I can break you.”  
“That’s interesting. Doctor Evans was under contract too and you let her go as soon as she accepted the new job in Miami.”  
“That was different.”  
“Oh? How so? Enlighten me.”  
“She accepted another job!”  
“And what makes you think I haven’t?”  
Lisa took a step back like she’d been slapped. “What? Who would hire you?”  
“The new Dean at Miami General is very interested in starting a Diagnostics department. And guess who she wants to run it? I’ll give you three guesses and the first two don’t count.”  
Seeing the flabbergasted look on Lisa’s face made Greg wish he could whip out his phone and take a picture to show AJ.  
“You can’t be serious.”  
“Unfortunately for you, I am. You reap what you sow, Cuddy. Did you think your mistreatment of Doctor Evans went unnoticed by me? I’ve been watching you shoot daggers at her since the day I started working here. I knew why, but I kept quiet because you were giving me everything I wanted. You only kept her here to keep me happy. And now that she’s gone, you figured you’d have me all to yourself. That you’d be the one I turned to when she left. Oh, and she told me you pushed her. And while you got lucky not being sued by her, now you’ve lost what you’ve claimed as your best doctor. And I’m sure, a few more.”  
Lisa’s face twisted in rage and she clenched her fists.   
Greg ignored her and continued. “I was never yours for the taking, Cuddy. When are you going to accept that? One night does not a relationship make. I told you that years ago, and I’m telling you again now because obviously it’s not sinking in. I’m leaving. I’ve asked my team to join me if they choose to do so. I can’t speak for Wilson, but if I were you, I’d be going over Oncology applicants. Wilson and AJ have become good friends and it wouldn’t surprise me if he decides to leave too.”  
Lisa stared at Foreman, Chase and then Cameron. Her lip curled in disgust as she looked at Cameron. “Of course you’re going to go. You’ve been after House like a bitch in heat since he hired you.”  
Cameron sat up straight and squared her shoulders. “If I decide to join him, it’ll be to leave PPTH. You’ve got to be the worst Administrator I’ve ever worked for.”  
Lisa laughed harshly. “I’m the only Administrator you’ve ever worked for. And if you feel that strongly about it then fine. You’re fired.”  
Cameron merely shrugged and gave Greg a nod, letting him know that she was with him.   
Greg reached for another donut and sat back in his chair. “You can go now. I’ll be packing up my stuff and be gone by the end of the week.”  
Lisa leaned over him and snatched the donut out of his hand. “You’re not going anywhere. Your reputation wasn’t worth shit before you came here and it won’t be worth shit if you try to leave.” She smashed the donut and dropped it in his lap. She wiped her hand on his jeans and stalked out.   
House picked up the ball of dough and jelly and dropped it on the table.   
“That went well, don’t you think?”  
“Are you seriously offering us a job in Miami? Does Doctor Evans know about this?” Foreman demanded.   
“She’s the one who recommended it. You don’t have to decide right this minute. It’ll be a few weeks before I’m even ready to start hiring anyone. It’ll depend if I even have a budget for three like I do here. But since Cameron spoke up, she’s got the first spot.”  
The door opened again and Greg rolled his eyes. “If you’ve come back to commit more doughnut murder, don’t bother. We’ve sent them into Witness Protection.”  
Tilting his head back, he looked at a group of nurses. The only one he recognized was Nurse Bitch also known as Nurse Brenda.  
“Need to talk to you,” she told him.  
Greg looked at her. “Fortunately, I don’t need to talk to you.” He turned his attention back to his team.  
“We saw Cuddy push Doctor Evans.”  
House went still. “Go on.”  
“She’s cut our budget again and we were going in to tell her we quit. We walked in just as Cuddy pushed her.”  
Greg barely seemed to breathe and his face wore a deadly expression. Cameron stared at him with wide eyes while Chase and Foreman exchanged a look.  
“We’re willing to testify if Doctor Evans is charging her with assault,” Brenda continued. “If she’s suing her, too, we know a lot about the things Cuddy’s done to keep your department going.”  
“We get donations,” Cameron said as Greg got up and went into his office. “That’s how the hospital gets most of it’s money; that and insurance.”  
Brenda shook her head. “Our funding comes from Medicare, the Federal government and reimbursement for patients who have insurance. We’re a teaching hospital,” she told them. “I’ve worked at a lot of hospitals. Whatever she gets from any donations goes straight into funding this department and him.” She jerked her head toward Greg’s office.   
Greg came out and looked at them. “I called Amanda and the police. She’s going to press charges so long as you and your cronies back her up. She also said if you’re all willing to relocate to Miami, you’ve got jobs.”  
“Will you be there?” Brenda asked.  
“Of course. That should sweeten the deal for you,” Greg smirked.   
Cameron cleared her throat. Greg looked at her with wide eyes. “Yes?”  
“If the police find out Doctor Evans offered them jobs it could hurt her case and Cuddy could get off.”  
Brenda nodded. “We won’t take the jobs or mention the offer. I want that crazy bitch to pay.”  
Greg winked at Cameron. “I always knew you were the smart one around here.”  
Cameron laughed and shook her head.


	15. Let's Go Crazy

Greg, Amanda, his team and the nurses were waiting in the lobby when the police arrived. Amanda and the nurses gave their statements. The officers wanted to know why they waited so long to report the assault. Amanda explained she didn’t realize anyone witnessed it and the nurses admitted Lisa threatened to fire the.  
“Where is Doctor Cuddy?” the officer asked.  
“Right there” Greg told him. He pointed toward Lisa as she came out of the clinic. She looked at the police officers and pasted on an insincere smile.  
“Is there a problem, Officers?” she asked while staring at Amanda.  
“Are you Doctor Lisa Cuddy?” one asked.  
“I am. What can I help you with?”  
He pulled out his handcuffs, turned Lisa around and cuffed her. “You’re being charged with the assault of Doctor Amanda Evans. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford one, one will be appointed to you by the state. Do you understand your rights as they have been given to you?”  
He turned Lisa toward the entrance of the hospital and began to lead her out.   
“YOU FUCKING BITCH!! YOU WILL PAY FOR THIS!! YOU’RE JUST JEALOUS OF ME AND TRYING TO GET RID OF ME BECAUSE YOU KNOW HOUSE REALLY WANTS ME!!! I WILL DESTROY YOU!! DO YOU HEAR ME, YOU WHORE?!? ” she screamed.  
The police officers practically carried Lisa out. She continued to scream obscenities as they put her in the police cruiser.  
“Maybe we should have called the nut house and asked for a tranquilizer and heavy duty straight jacket,” Greg commented.  
He turned to Amanda. Her eyes were wide and her mouth hung slightly open.   
“You okay?” he asked putting an arm around her and pulling her close.  
“I had no idea,” she said faintly. “I knew she didn’t like me, but….”  
Greg pressed a kiss against her temple. “There’s more to this than her being jealous of you and obsessed with me. We both knew there was something off about her.”  
She turned wide blue eyes to him. “Maybe we can get her psychiatric help.”  
He shook his head. “Only you would want to help the person who tried to hurt you.”  
She smiled sadly. “I’d hate to see her become a danger to herself and others, despite what she’s done.”  
“I’m sure they’ll take good care of her where she’s going,” Chase said with a nod, but his smile was wicked.   
“Yes, well, since most of us are out of a job, I’m going home. And you,” Greg said as he looked at Amanda, “have some travel arrangements to make.”  
“Already done,” she said with a smile. “I fly out first thing tomorrow morning and have a meeting with Doctor Petrie as soon as I arrive.”  
Greg’s face fell. “Already?”  
“He’s anxious to begin his retirement,” she chuckled. “And wants me to at least get a lay of the land before he feels comfortable leaving the hospital in my capable hands. His words, not mine.”  
“I look forward to working with you,” Cameron told her.   
“Suck up,” Greg muttered.  
“Shut up, House.”  
“Insubordination,” he called out.   
“We don’t work together yet,” she reminded him. “Technically right now, you’re not my superior.”  
“Damn, you’re right. Okay kids, show’s over. Amanda has lots of work to do tonight,” Greg said as he shooed them all away.  
“I do, huh?” she asked as he walked her out to her car.  
“Yep. I’ll meet you back at your place. I need to finish boxing up some stuff.”   
“Okay. But I won’t be up late tonight.”  
“What time’s your flight?”  
“Six.”  
Greg rubbed a hand over his face. “Jesus...and how are you getting to the airport?”  
“I thought I’d just take a cab. Or my amazing boyfriend could drive me and see me off,” she said with a smile as she batted her eyelashes at him.  
“He could be tempted.”  
“Then I’ll see you later.” She leaned up and kissed him softly, nibbling his lower lip as he nibbled hers. 

 

Amanda quickly reached over and shut off the alarm when it went off so it wouldn’t disturb Greg. He was still asleep next to her and she watched him for a few minutes. It made her sad to think she probably wouldn’t see him for at least a couple of weeks.  
Since one of the board members stepped up to take over Lisa Cuddy’s position as Dean until someone new could be hired, Greg decided to stay until his new position in Miami was finalized. It would give him time to apply for a medical license in another state and tie up loose ends in Princeton and he hired Cameron back temporarily to help him get the word out that he was moving to Miami.

Greg stirred as Amanda got up and got dressed. The sun was already up and she was ready to go.  
“Greg...get up. We have to go,” she whispered in his ear as she gently stroked his furry cheek. “Don’t go today,” he murmured as he reached for her and started pulling her back into bed with him.  
She laughed as she tried to get away. “If you don’t get up in five minutes I’m calling a cab and leaving without you. And it’ll piss me off so bad that I won’t want to have sex for weeks.”  
That got his attention and he sat up. She watched him get up and find his clothes and in ten minutes they were headed to the airport. He walked with her to the check in spot and once she was checked in, she wrapped her arms around his neck.   
“Don’t I get a goodbye kiss?”  
He rolled his eyes but wrapped his arms around her waist and laid one on her that took her breath away. She was so wrapped up in it that she almost didn’t hear her boarding call.  
“I gotta go,” she murmured against his lips and backed away.  
“Call me when you get there.”  
“I will. Behave yourself,” she said with a cheeky grin.   
“Riiiiight. You better behave yourself, honey.”  
Amanda laughed as she picked up her things and headed toward the gate.

 

A couple of weeks went by and he found himself missing Amanda tremendously. She wasn’t able to talk much by phone and when he’d call her at night, she was too exhausted to talk for long. Petrie had her very busy learning the ropes at Miami General, but she seemed excited and told him he was going to love working there.  
Everything was taken care of on his end and he was restless. With that in mind, he packed a bag for himself, went online and booked himself on the next flight to Miami. He wanted to see her. He needed to see her.   
Amanda’s phone rang as she drove back to the hotel she was staying at.  
“Evans.”  
“Hey.”  
She smiled. Greg’s voice always made her heart skip a beat. “Hey. what’s up?”  
“Guess.”  
She laughed. “I don’t need to guess.  
“Are you in your car?”  
“Yeah, just heading back to the hotel. I’m exhausted. All I want is a hot bubble bath and a nice chilled glass of wine.”  
“Sounds good. I’m just lying here…”  
She sighed. “I miss you.”  
“I miss you too. But don’t worry. You’ll see me sooner than you think. Gotta go.” Then he ended the call and she chuckled as she took the exit off the highway.   
Petrie certainly spared no expense with her accommodations. She was put up at the Hilton just ten minutes from the hospital and given a car allowance while she was there. She’d been so busy she hadn’t had time to look for a permanent place to live, but the hotel suite was so nice she didn’t feel the urge to rush.   
When she entered the lobby, the staff smiled at her as she walked past and she smiled back. It had become almost like home to her. She let herself into her room and froze. She smelled...lavender and rose petals.  
“Hello?” She called out as she walked further into the room. On the floor were red rose petals scattered on the carpet, seemingly making a trail toward the bedroom so she followed it. When she got to the bathroom she gasped and dropped her purse.  
Greg was in the giant bathtub, up to his neck in bubbles as he smiled at her and sipped champagne. “Hi,” he said with his signature sexy grin. The room was dim, lit only by tea lights that were placed strategically, giving it a romantic glow.   
She was speechless as she glanced around the room. “About time you got here,” he said as he took another sip.   
“When...how…?”  
“I flew in this afternoon and used my charm on the girls at the front desk to let me in. I also got them to help me decorate. So, are you going to get naked and join me or do I have to pull you in here by force?”  
She wasted no time as she began to strip down while Greg watched her. He then scooted back a bit so she could sit between his legs with her back to him. When she leaned back against his chest, he handed her a glass of champagne. “I believe this is what you wanted.”  
“Mhm,” she nodded as she sipped. “This is much better than anything I could think up.”  
“Oh I don’t know. I think if the situation were reversed, you’d come up with your own brand of romantic sappiness. You did once say you were a hopeful romantic.”  
“I am. And it’s all your fault.”  
“I don’t hear you complaining.”  
“I’m not.” She turned her head and they kissed, lips brushing gently. “I missed you. A lot.”  
“I missed you too,” he said as his hands began to explore under the bubbles. They slid up her stomach to massage her breasts and then back down to the inside of her thigh, making her gasp.  
“So how’s the hospital?”  
“Amazing. The doctors are all real nice, and they’re fun. I went out for drinks with some of the nurses as well. You’ll like them.”  
“And my office?”  
“I think you’ll be very happy. And yes, you are budgeted for three team members. Will Doctor Chase be joining you?”  
“I don’t know. Probably if Cameron is. But enough about them,” he whispered in her ear as his hands continue to move downward to that one spot she’s been craving for him to touch. When he does, she lets out a soft moan.  
“Greg….”  
“Yes?”  
“Let’s get out of here.”  
“You read my mind,” he chuckled as he got out first and helped her. Then he wrapped a large fluffy towel around her and proceeded to thoroughly dry her off. She picked up her champagne glass and the bucket near the tub and took them with her to the bedroom where she topped up both their glasses and slipped into bed.  
Greg got in the other side and took the glass from her. “To new chapters,” he said as he clinked his glass against hers.  
“May the story never end,” she replied with a smile and took a long sip. The champagne was already starting to go to her head and she felt very nicely buzzed.  
“Are you hungry?” he asked her.  
“Starving, actually.”  
“I’ll order room service. It’ll probably take at least half an hour to get here. In the meantime,” he said, wrapping his arms around her, “we have lost time to make up for.”  
She giggled as he rolled them over so he was on top of her, his obvious excitement rubbed against her thigh.  
“Yes we do,” she nodded as she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulled him down for a long, deep kiss and let her foot slide up his calf.  
“Hold that thought,” he said and grabbed the room service menu off the table. “What do you want?”  
“Beef dip. With fries and a beer.”  
He chuckled at her request, but decided it sounded pretty good so he called the order in for both of them and hung up. “They quoted us forty-five minutes. That’s quite a bit of time.”  
“Yeah.” She slid her hands up his chest and raked her nails over his nipples as she nipped at the base of his neck. “Make love to me, Greg. I need to feel you….”  
He nodded and gave her exactly what she asked for. When he slid into her tight warmth, they both moaned at the amazing feeling of being skin on skin. They dispensed with condoms weeks ago after mutually agreeing to get the necessary blood work done, but as expected, both were clean and he tossed the condoms in the trash that day.   
Feeling Amanda without that annoying barrier was better than anything he’d ever experienced. She was the only woman he’d even consider riding bareback with, and it was worth it. She felt so good, inside and out, that he found he wasn’t able to last as long as he would’ve otherwise, but Amanda didn’t seem to mind. She was very quick to her own climax and he loved watching her fall over the edge. It was enough to send him over right after and when it was over, they held each other close, continuing to touch and kiss until they fell asleep.


	16. Epilogue:  Bienvenido a Miami

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, we reach the end. Well, of this story anyway. Pyewacket and I have two more for you.
> 
> Oh, we still don't own House though we wish we did. House, MD belongs to David Shore and NBC Universal.

Everyone sat around a long table at a restaurant in downtown Miami. Chase and Cameron arrived just a few days before and Wilson arrived that very afternoon.

“Doctor Foreman didn’t come with you?” Amanda inquired of Chase and Cameron.  
“Nope. He stayed behind to run Diagnostics at PPTH,” Cameron replied. A small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. She’d developed kind of a brotherly love for Foreman, but she knew he was way in over his head.  
Greg snickered. “You’ve got to be kidding.”  
“Nope. It was quite sad. The ink on your resignation hadn’t even dried yet when he started angling for your job. He convinced the new Dean to let him take it over and they agreed on the condition that he can keep it running the way you did for one year. If not, they’ll shut it down.”  
“In other words, if he can’t attract the donors,” Greg added.  
“Right,” Chase said with a nod.  
“I think they just did it to humor him though. Honestly, I think a year is too long. I would’ve given him six months, tops,” Cameron said into her fishbowl sized glass, still grinning.  
“So what’s the word on the street about Cuddy? Anyone know?” Greg asked as they drank Pina Coladas and waited for their dinners to arrive.  
“I heard they slapped her with a $1000 fine, treatment with a psychiatrist three days a week and a restraining order against both of you,” Cameron said. “Nurse Brenda told me that she can’t come within five hundred feet of you, Doctor Evans or PPTH.”  
“Good to know she’s getting help,” Amanda said with a nod.   
Greg looked annoyed. “Meh, she got a slap on the wrist. I would slapped her in restraints and sentenced her to life at the Booby Hatch outside of town. What’s it called again?”  
“Mayfield,” Chase volunteered. “You should’ve recommended that. They probably would’ve listened to you.”  
Greg leaned over and whispered in Amanda’s ear. “I’d love to slap you in restraints.”  
“Silk scarves or the ties you never wear?” she whispered back and giggled at the look of surprise on his face.  
His hand found its way onto her thigh under the table. “You little minx. Just full of surprises, aren’t you?”  
She placed her hand over his and squeezed. “Baby, you ain't seen nothin yet.”

Across the street, Lisa stood on the shaded patio of another restaurant. She watched the happy group across the street. She clenched her fists when Greg put his arm around Amanda.  
“Hey!”  
Lisa turned and looked at the owner. “I’m on a break,” she said sullenly.  
He folded his arms. “Break’s over. Those dishes aren’t going to wash themselves.” Turning on his heel, he walked back into the busy restaurant.  
With one last longing look at Greg, Lisa turned and went to resume washing the piles of dishes in the overcrowded, overheated kitchen.

The End


End file.
